REDO The Hunter
by Ugly-Duckling123
Summary: Retry on 'The Hunter' - Black Cat's: A sign of bad luck, evil, trickery, thieves, etc. Never once before has there been known of a GOOD Chat Noir (or if there has it's not that often). So when a man called The Hunter comes to Paris looking for Adrien because he's the newest feline super hero, what will his 'Cat Family Tree' reveal to him? (AN Same as old, but hopefully better.)
1. Chapter 1

The Hunter - One who hunts.

For the last few centuries this man has hunted and succeeded in killing almost all the creatures he has been after.

His reason? Well one he hates them, and two... With each one he kills, he absorbs their souls making himself more powerful than he was before.

And what is it this man is hunting you may ask?

Why only just a specific black cat costumed citizen running around in the streets and city's of the world, Chat Noir...

*o*

Our Story starts in London, where a man who calls himself 'The Hunter' is in pursuit of said feline themed citizen.

In fact he had been on the hunt for several years, today actually marking the 15th year that the women in question left Paris and came here to hide - the coward.

"I'm never going to find that dumb cat," he says buying a news paper from a news vender and opened it.

"Hello... what do we have here?" he asked grinning and giving off a very evil chuckle as he saw the photo of two teenagers dressed in super hero costumes, but only focused on the boy.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir save Paris once again, hmm..." he says, reading the title, thinking.

Mostly about the game he was playing with old Chat Noir and that it has gotten dull seeing as she never shows herself anymore, and the amount of excitement this new one will give him.

"Well then, it looks like I'm off to Paris," he says shredding the picture up and walking away, not caring about the cries the person running the stall gave out about him littering.

*o*

Inside a gramophone, in a China themed shop somewhere in Paris, a small green creature woke with a start and flew out.

"Master, Master," he said to an old man who was seeing to a customer, who looked up confused.

"Master, Master, chanting, to ward off bad omens," the man said as the creature hid. "Master, Master. Well that's you done, see you next week," he says pushing the man out and closing the door.

"Master, The Hunter, I felt him, he's coming back to Paris." Wayzz said, worried.

"We must find a way to contact Adrien and Plagg and warn them," Master Fu said thinking "If He really is coming back then he will go straight for the boy, and I do not think Plagg can bare loosing another person to his man..."

"But Master, what if The Hunter is too strong for Plagg and Adrien to deal with on their own?" Wayzz asked.

"Then we will need to look for help," Master Fu said after thinking for a bit "But we will do that if and when the time comes."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Basically the same as the old** ** _The Hunter_** **but there a some new words/lines, some things have been cut out, others have been moved, and some chapters have been put together into one chapter.**

* * *

It had been a few weeks since The Hunter had come to Paris, and during that time, he had taken lots of very well detailed notes about the new Chat Noir and this... 'Ladybug'.

So much so, he has a rough idea who each one is.

He noted down how protective Chat was of Ladybug, how he almost always taking the hits for her, and tried to get her to like him with his jokes.

How Ladybug was always the one to change the 'Akumatized' citizen back to normal, and ignore Chat's jokes thinking he was just trying to be funny.

And more importantly... how everyone praised her more than Chat Noir because of it...

* * *

"Hey My Lady, can I ask you something?" Chat Noir asked Ladybug one night while they were patrolling the city.

"Um sure kitty, what's wrong?" Ladybug asked coming to a stop on top of the bell tower of Notre Dame.

"Well... it's about us..." Chat Noir said slowly, fingering his ring and avoiding her eyes.

"Chat you know I like you," Ladybug said jumping to conclusions since he tries this almost every other mission and it had been a couple of years since they got their Miraculous "But I have a crush on someone else," she said getting her yoyo out again.

"That's not what I want to talk about this time M'Lady," Chat said looking to her right in her blue-bell eyes.

Hearing this, Ladybug gives him a confused look and but her weapon away, nodding to him to say he can continue.

"It's... Well you know how we always tell everyone we're a team, and all that?" he asked looking to his partner, getting a nod.

"Yeah well, you know how it's always you that fixes everything... Well... I... I was thinking... And please don't take this the wrong way..." Chat began slowly not sure how he would say this. How are you meant to tell your partner in crime fighting that you want to hang up your Miraculous just because no one loves you?

But, then again it might be better seeing all he ever seemed to do was take the hits and make the mission even harder for Ladybug.

"I was thinking on..." Chat began again looking up at her, but cut himself off when his cat ears picked up the sound of Police sirens.

"You hear that?" Ladybug asked looking out at the city and seeing a disturbance along the main bridge.

"Yeah I do," Chat said looking out as well "We need to go see what's up," he said pulling his staff out and extending it.

"But didn't you want to tell me something?" Ladybug asked, but undoing her yoyo anyway.

"It... It can wait." Chat said before running ahead and leaping off into the night, soon followed by a slightly worried Ladybug.

* * *

After running and flipping over roof tops for a few minutes, the pair come down on to the bridge, looking around to see what was wrong, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

And there were no Akuma attacks, just what seemed to be the brigade, in arms, surrounding a man in a trench coat with an array of weapons on him.

"Ah, there you are..." he said looking at the two heroes "I was wondering when you might show you little faces.

"And _mew_ might you be?" Chat Noir asks extending his staff and glaring at the man.

"Well I personally would like to be called 'The Hunter', little kitty. But there's no need to tell me who you two are, I already know all about you..." the man say chuckling slightly looking at both teenagers "Every last little... detail..."

That made the two teenagers behind the masks confused, and look at each other slightly worried, not sure who this guy is

"You know it's funny. I never thought a couple of teenagers would ever be chosen to wield the Miraculous'. And you might be the first ever Chat Noir that's actually using these powers for good." the man said looking them both over but focusing more on Chat Noir.

"What do you mean?" Ladybug asked continuously spinning her yoyo, Chat keeping his staff up but loosening his hold slightly, ignoring the tiny voice in his head that was Plagg, saying to run.

"Well my dear Little Lady..." The Hunter begins, bowing, smirking and getting his fingers ready to count on them.

"There was one or two who were thieves," he said looking to Chat Noir who was surprised.

"A few that used that _wonderful_ Cataclysm of theirs to kill other people. And still others who only wanted fame and power only that puny little ring can give them, but they weren't really any heroes."

"I..." Chat Noir said looking to his ring surprised at all of this new knowledge "I don't believe you."

"Well then, why don't you ask that useless little Kwami of yours?" The Hunter asks grinning "After all, he's the one to watch over every single Chat Noir that there has ever been from the very beginning of time."

"How do you know about Plagg?" Chat Noir asked raising his weapon again, growling slightly that this man would dare call one of his best friends ' _Useless'_.

"I guess that will just have to be another question you have to ask him..." The Hunter says grinning at the boy "But for now let me ask you one of my own... Why are you doing this?"

"What?" the heroes asked together but The Hunter seemed to only hear Chat Noir.

"Why are you, the God-like being that holds that beautiful, powerful, power of destruction... saving lives when you're using that puny little ring? Especially when little Miss Polka - Dot here is the one who gets all the praise. When she can so obviously do the job herself? What do you get out of this?" he asks grinning; loving the silence the crowed gave, wanting to know the answer.

"Chat?" Ladybug says quietly looking at him, pulling her yoyo in "Do you think this? Was that what you were going to tell me earlier?" she asked.

Not wanting to answer either of them in front of the force, the reporters, or the people of Paris, Chat ignored her and charged towards The Hunter staff at the ready to bring down on him and hurt him.

But just as he was about to strike, The Hunter went up in a puff of smoke his laughter ringing in everyone's ears as he came to be again on top the reporter's truck.

"Well, I guess I will be leaving now," he says bowing again grinning, showing his pointy teeth "I'm just letting you know that I'm here. And I will be coming after you and that ring Chat Noir. Good bye."

And with that and another puff of smoke he was gone.

All at once the news reports from all over, crowded around Chat Noir all wanting to know if...

1, What this man said was really how he felt towards Ladybug?

2, Did Chat Noir actually know him?

And 3, If he was possibly scared about what may be happening in the possible near future?

Not wanting to answer any of these questions, and instead wanting to go home to talk to his Kwami about all this, Chat Noir was about to start off towards home, when Plagg told him to head for the middle of town instead.

Not sure but trusting him, Chat set off towards a specific Chinese themed shop.

* * *

Outside the shop door, Chat Noir unsure on what was going on quickly changed back to Adrien Agreste his Kwami, Plagg, coming out of the ring on his finger.

"Ok Plagg what was all that about?" the boy asked "Who was that guy and how did he know about you?"

"I'll explain when we get inside," the Black Cat Kwami said fazing through the door and unlocking it for the teenager, not even asking for camembert – this must be serious.

"Plagg we can't just waltz on in here like this," Adrien said annoyed.

"Do you want answers or not?" Plagg said firmly.

Sighing, Adrien steps inside and closed the door behind him.

Inside, Plagg led Adrien to the back room where Master Fu and Wayzz were waiting.

"Hello Chat Noir," Fu said looking up from meditating, a small smile that said _'I knew you would be coming...'_

"Um... Hi?" Adrien said unsure but having a feeling he has met this man before but couldn't quite remember where from.

"Master Fu, why didn't you tell me The Hunter was back?" Plagg asked getting right to the point, and sounding... slightly worried?

Adrien shook his head confused, _'No. Unless it had something to do with Camembert cheese, Plagg was never worried or scared of anything.'_ he thought.

"Plagg we were going to tell you, we just did not know exactly how to get the news to you," Master Fu said calmly.

"Um, excuse me, sir," Adrien says coming down to the floor as well, and bringing out a bit of cheese for his Kwami "But who exactly is 'The Hunter'? And how did he know about Plagg?"

"The Hunter is an age old enemy to almost all the Chat Noir's, killing nearly all of them, only a few have managed to escape him," Master Fu says.

"And he knows me Adrien," Plagg says hugging his cheese wedge for comfort "Because... Because he was the first ever person I had to watch over, and bonded with to be the first ever Chat Noir."

"But then why is he still here then?" Adrien asked after a bit "And was what he said about the other Chat Noirs true? Were they all... bad guys?"

"Somehow, way, way, way, back in Ancient China," Plagg says sounding like one, a teacher, and two, he didn't want to talk about this "The Miraculous' were made and given out to the people that deserved them.

"The one who got the Ring of the Black Cat was a man called Clayton Bolrick," he continued.

"One of the things he did as Chat Noir, was save an Emperor and his kingdom, from a dragon by using Cataclysm and destroying it. But if you use it on living things, you get all the powers and energy, and life span, added onto your own, and dragons, being mythical creatures, stay alive for a long, long, long time. As long as there are humans believing that they were or are around. "

"Over time, well... He kinda got a bit more evil and bigger headed so the ring was taking away from him and passed to the next person. And he did not like that.

"So he... he killed him and the next... Well let's just say until the previous Chat Noir and a few who were luckily enough not to ever meet him, he got to every single one of my **kittens** *," Plagg said hugging his cheese and turning away from Adrien.

"Plagg, I'm... I'm so sorry," the boy said "I didn't know. But really, is what he said true? Were all of the Chat's from before bad."

"Only if they didn't have a Ladybug to help keep them on the right path," Plagg said sighing, finally chomping down on the piece of Camembert "And they only stopped when they were caught, or they fell in love."

"Is there a way to stop him?" the boy asked now turning to Master Fu again.

"He must be stopped by what made him what he is," the 186 old man said, getting a confused look from the boy "Meaning... ironically only a Chat's Cataclysm can end him," he says "But so far no one's been strong enough to last in a fight long enough to do it."

"And with each one he kills, he gains their power, and he becomes stronger," Wayzz finally says getting some words in.

Adrien went over all this new information in his head.

"You... said he's gotten to every Chat up to whoever had this last right?" he asked looking at his ring "Well who was that? Maybe if we work together we can beat him."

"Just as I was thinking Adrien," Master Fu said smiling "Therefore I had contacted her and she's coming over back to Paris, however it will take a short time for her to get here."

"Ok," Adrien said nodding a bit of a happier look on his face.

Saying he had to go after Adrien noticed the time, the teenager got up transformed into Chat Noir and, after saying goodbye, left.

"Do you not think he should be told who exactly the previous Chat Noir was Master?" Wayzz asked looking to his friend.

"Not just yet," Master Fu said in reply calmly "Let us worry about that when the time comes."

* * *

 **AN: *Kittens – This is what Plagg likes to call the human's he's paired up with**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: First part played the same time as the** **back half of the** **last Chapter: Ladybug POV**

* * *

As soon as Ladybug had dealt with all the reporters, she had turned in the direction Chat Noir had set off in to try and find him so they can work this out.

But she couldn't find him anywhere, and he wasn't answering her calls.

"Oh Chat Noir, where are you?" she asked on top of the Arc de Triomphe, looking around.

She was about to head off again, when she felt like she was being watched turning around in time to see The Hunter on the other end of the landmark.

"Hello Little Lady," he said grinning, his hands behind his back "I was looking for Chat. You wouldn't know where he might be, do you?"

"As a matter of no, no I do not," Ladybug said pulling out her yoyo "And even if I did, there is no way I would tell you the answer."

"So... There is absolutely... positively... not–in–one–million–years–ly... any possible way, you would tell me where Chat Noir is?" Hunter asked, coming forwards with each word, his grin getting bigger each time as he gripped onto the handles of his swords.

"No..." Ladybug said firmly, standing tall and looking him into the eye.

"Alright," Hunter says shrugging and turning away "Have it your way. I can see you are very loyal to your partner my dear," he says "However because of such acts of loyalty, you are of no used to me, and I'm afraid I'll have to get rid of you."

"Wait... what?" Ladybug asked shocked not believing her ears, slackening in spinning her yoyo.

"You heard me," Hunter said pulling out a sword and throwing it at her, only for her to jump out of the way.

"You're not supposed to dodge it, Little Lady!" he cried out chuckling and started to advance on her, the sword back in his hand, loving being able to have the feel of the hunt in him again.

Ladybug didn't want to run, but after a bit of a fight, and the fact that she was running out of space on top of the Arc de Triomphe, she decided it was best if she just turned and ran, running across the roof tops away from him, Hunter after giving her a sporting head start, soon close behind.

* * *

Ladybug was racing across the roof-tops of Paris.

She knew she had to ditch him and change back to make him think he lost his 'prey', but every time she thought she could, Hunter was right there... with his grin widening each time, new sharper weapons pointing and being aimed and thrown at her, meaning she couldn't find a safe place to de-transform and had to keep running, making her tired, his laughter ringing in her ears.

Even though the suit gave her higher abilities, she did still have her limits. And they were running out.

She needed to think of a way to get him to leave her alone.

She thought about using her _Lucky Charm_ , but then she would only have five minutes to work out how to use the item and ditch The Hunter, before she changed back, and she needed concentration to do that, and when you're running and flying away for your life that was a bit hard to do.

Thinking of the citizens of Paris as well, Ladybug knew she needed to lead him away from the town.

Looking around for a safe place to go where she could fight him, Ladybug came across a billboard advertising the football stadium.

"That's it..." she said to herself beaming, screaming a little as Hunter once again came up ahead of her and threw another weapon at her, but she dodged it and set out to the stadium.

As The Hunter saw her go in that direction, his smile only doubled.

"All according to plan..." he said before setting out for the stadium too.

* * *

When Ladybug got to the stadium, she looked around to see if there was anybody around thankfully getting a 'No' and was about to change back into Marinette Dupain-Cheng when the sound of a net-cannon being fired went off and she was tangled up and hoisted into the air in it, trying to get out.

"Look Mummy, I caught a Ladybug..." Hunter called out loudly laughing as he came out of the shadows and came over.

"Let me go!" Ladybug cried out glaring up at the man.

"And why would I do that Little Lady?" he asked ignoring her and looking for something within his coat to finish her with "Besides, I don't believe you're in any position to start giving me orders."

Trying to think of something to say or do to get out of this, which didn't have her use her _Lucky Charm_ in case she couldn't get out in time, Ladybug said the first thing that came into her head.

"Well... why would you want to kill me?" she asked.

This made Hunter stop for a second and look up and amused look on his face.

"Like I said at the beginning of the game of chase we just had my dear," he said smirking "If you're not going to help me, I have no need of you so I might as well destroy you," he said rethinking his own idea "Then again..." he said letting the net down, but not taking it off her and coming forward to look Ladybug in the eye, lifting her chin up to make her look into his.

"There might be a use for you after all, in concerning this new Chat Noir," he said grinning.

"You leave him alone," Ladybug cried out, getting out of this man's hold and reaching for her yoyo. It didn't matter what she thought earlier, this was an emergency.

But she couldn't feel it around her waist.

"Looking for this?" Hunter asked playing with the red and black yoyo as if it were a toy.

"Hey give that back!" Ladybug said reaching out for it, but not being able to reach it.

"Awe... is the Little Lady upset that I have her favourite toy?" Hunter asked chuckling and holding onto the yoyo "Well I think I'll hold on to it for a bit longer then," he said putting it into one of his pockets.

"Now, what can I do with you, to let that little pussy cat know you're in danger?" he asked thinking up some _Wonderful_ idea's but nothing seemed quite enough.

The longer Ladybug was tied up like this, the more she got worried that she wouldn't get out in time and warn Chat Noir.

Just then a beeping came from her yoyo, as said partner was trying to call her.

"Well... it's a bit boring," Hunter said pulling out the weapon-ized toy and looking up to Ladybug "But it's better than nothing," he said unlocking it and pressing the 'Allow' button.

* * *

Chat Noir was back home, and was about to change back into Adrien Agreste when he remembered he literally ditched Ladybug back there with the reporters and he didn't tell her where he would be going.

Thinking he should call her to tell her he was ok, he pulled his baton out and pressed the 'Call' button.

After a bit, the other end picked up.

"Hey Ladybug, just calling to tell you I'm safe and alright," he said not looking at the screen as he was getting out some pj's.

But all that changed then the person on the other end said one of the lamest cliché puns in history.

"I'm sorry," the man said "But Ladybug's a little **_Tied Up_** right now, but if you leave your name and number..."

Quickly Chat Noir looked at the screen.

"Hunter!" he said as loudly as he dared and growled a bit "What are you doing answering Ladybug's yoyo?"

"Like I said little kitty," The Hunter said smirking turning the screen to a netted Ladybug who was still trying to get out "She's a little... tied up. However, If you want her back all you have to do is come to the Eiffel Tower and free her," he said turning the screen back to himself "I will give you... Until midnight. Seems fair?"

Chat was torn between what to do, mostly because he could hear his Lady screaming at him not to come.

"And if I don't come?" Chat asked fist clenched and teeth grinding.

"Well then... I suggest you take one last look at your little love bug, Chat Noir..." The Hunter said as he once again turned the screen to Ladybug "Because this will be the last you ever see of her... alive..."

And with that the call ended.

Screaming in frustration Chat Noir looked at the clock and say it was just gone passed 11.

Quickly detransforming he let Plagg out and went to get him the biggest wheel of camembert cheese.

"Don't complain, just eat, I need you at full power come midnight if I'm going to save Ladybug," Adrien says to the Kwami.

Surprisingly, the little floating cat, for once did what he was told and just chowed down onto the cheese.

*o*

Back in the stadium, Hunter had gotten Ladybug out from the net, tied her up and slapped some duck tape over her mouth to keep her from talking / screaming.

"Now, now, no need to be like this Little Lady..." Hunter says grinning as Ladybug kicked, and squirmed as hard as she could to try and get away "I'm only doing you and all of Paris a favor. You should be thankful to me. I'm getting rid of that stray alley cat that holds you back after all..."

With that, Ladybug was tied up and secure, her mind and heart were both crushed, and they set off for the Eiffel Tower, to wait it out until midnight.

* * *

Midnight was approaching, and Chat Noir was making his way towards the Eiffel Tower, a killer look in his eyes.

 _'_ _If that guy's done anything to hurt Ladybug, I will not hold back on him...'_ he thought as he got to the base of the landmark.

Looking up Chat Noir tried to see where Ladybug might be, and saw something right at the top.

Getting out his staff since that would be faster; he extended it as far as it was needed and made his way there touching down on the observation deck, looking up again and seeing Ladybug bound and gagged against the steeple.

Chat Noir was about to go up to untie her and get her down, but her muffled yells of _"Mmmmmm Mmmmmm"_ and the sound of... Someone on the other side of the deck, made him stop.

"Hunter! Get your butt out here so I can fight you!" Chat Noir cried out looking all around for him, his glowing green eyes narrowed.

"My, my, what a temper you hold," Hunter said in an amused voice from the other side of the observation deck.

Screaming in frustration, Chat whipped out his staff and ran around to the other side of the deck, but Hunter wasn't there.

Just then Ladybug saw something and tried to get her partners attention, a worried look on her face.

 _"_ _Mmm Mmmm, mmmm mmm!"_ she cried through the tape on her mouth, making him spin around to see Hunter was coming up behind him with a very large sword that was about to come down on to the boy.

Gasping Chat Noir quickly dodged the sword and extended his staff to a fighting size and used it to block his opponent's weapon.

Grinning, Hunter lets up a bit, making Chat tumble forwards and before he could get up again, Hunter harshly kneed him in the stomach.

Grunting, Chat wrapped an arm around his tummy and growled as he looked up at the man through silted eyes, telling everyone that he was mad.

Letting his claws come out, Chat Noir rushed forwards ready to rip this man's eyes out.

The only problem was, Hunter moved as the boy was about to hit him, and had Ladybug by the arm in front of him as a human shield.

"You want to get to me boy, you'll have to get through you precious little Love Bug first," he said chuckling, that laughter increasing as Chat slowly stepped back, growling.

"That's better... Now, I'm sure you've been told lots about me now, so..." Hunter said grinning keeping a hold of Ladybug's arm "Are you going to come over to me the easy way, or do I have to deal with you the hard way?"

Because Chat Noir was trying to think of a way to get Ladybug back safely, he didn't answer.

"Well I can see you're not coming over that easy, so let's see..." Hunter said looking for something to make the boy cooperate and conveniently looked over the edge of the safety railing, an evil smirk coming to his face.

"You know Chat Noir," Hunter said getting the boy's attention "I've always known ladybugs were able to fly... Want to test it on this one?" he asked grinning lifting said girl up and throwing her over the side.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry it's so long - originally it was two chapters, but I thought they were a little too short when they were on their own so I put them together**

 **Hope everyone is liking this**

 **If you are please review ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Previously:**

 **"** **You know Chat Noir," Hunter said getting the boy's attention "I've always known ladybugs were able to fly... Want to test it on this one?" he asked grinning lifting said girl up and throwing her over the side.**

* * *

"NO!" Chat cried getting up and jumping off the railing after the girl he loved.

Quickly he pulled out his staff for when it would be needed, and then got into as much as an arrow as he could to catch up with a still bound and gagged Ladybug, reaching out a hand and grabbing her, bringing her into his chest.

Once she was there he raised his other hand, extended his staff, and span it like a propeller slowing their decent to the ground, although it was still a bumpy landing.

The citizens that were still out, although there weren't that many, all looked up and over to them when the two heroes came down, some of them with phones up recording everything, all of them wondering what was going on.

Ignoring them, Chat Noir was about to untie Ladybug and see and ask if she was alright, when suddenly her eyes grew wide and started screaming through the tape again.

Quickly looking over his shoulder Chat saw a knife being thrown at him from Hunter which he only just dodged. Looking around, Chat got up and passed Ladybug to some Parisians who looked trust worthy.

"Don't let her into this," Chat said to them "This is my fight."

Then with deaf ears to Ladybug's screams he turned around and came forwards to face this man.

"And then there was one itty bitty little Black Kitty," Hunter said grinning as he pulled out some more of his weapons.

"Yeah well as far as I know, you used to be a Black Cat too," Chat Noir said this getting a mummer of amazement from everyone "And then there are the ones you didn't know about, and the last Black Cat... So that sounds a lot more than one."

"Just like all the others," Hunter said smirking and slowly shaking his head "All the vermin like you. All had way to big head that were only stuffed with hot air... Tell me, is that how you deal with those little Akuma's you and your girlfriend fight?" he asks looking over to Ladybug who was trying to get out of the bonds that held her.

"Because if it is little kitty, that's not going to work on me," he continued "Because I am not an Akuma... I am a being greater and more powerful than any beast you had fought before... I'm not after you lame jewels... I'm after something much greater... Your life..."

And with that, not giving Chat Noir time to respond with a usual quick remark, he started running towards the boy readying his weapons to bring down onto Chat Noir and end his life.

Expecting this, Chat Noir pulled out his staff and split it into two crossing them so they could take the force of the attack, before he shoved at them, pushing Hunter off, and began jumping up the tower a few lengths.

Snarling in anger that his prey was getting away, Hunter followed him and everyone wanting to see how this turned out, stayed put and recorded it on their phones.

Chat Noir, it appeared to everyone as the fight went on, was stronger than everyone thought, seeing how easy he kept getting hit by Akuma's.

No matter what The Hunter threw at him, be it swords, maces, knifes, punches or kicks, the boy in the black suit would not give in, and this was while they were jumping up and down the tower, over the lampposts and rolling on the ground.

"Come on boy give up," Hunter said grinning, not taken nearly as many beatings or hits as Chat Noir did "Stop playing the hero and join your ancestors in being villains."

"Ne... Never!" Chat Noir says grinding his teeth and eyes silted, holding his shoulder thinking he might have hurt it the last time he jumped down and rolled away from the tower. "Besides I've be told by my Kwami, not all Chat Noirs were bad, just those who didn't have a Ladybug to guide them..."

This got Ladybug to stop fidgeting and trying to get out of the bonds she was still in and pay attention.

"Eww... Gag! You know what your problem is boy?" Hunter said pointing a sabre-sword at Chat Noir. "You're a disgrace, a disappointment, an uttermost failure," he continued, each word wounding the boy behind the mask even more. "You may just be the weakest holder of the Ring of the Black Cat that I had ever faced. As I was telling your little red and black friend a few hours ago, her and the whole city would be better off without you."

That left a wound in Chat's heart, now not paying attention to what was going on, and the crowd whispering wondering if that were true.

"So... Now you see?" Hunter asks looking at Chat but seeming to be addressing people "I am not the enemy... I am the good guy dealing with vermin... like you!"

At last Ladybug had gotten herself free and ripped the tape off her mouth.

"CHAT LOOK OUT!" she screamed to him, still being held by the man Chat gave her to.

Looking up gasping, Chat Noir dodged the sword ran over to his Lady and together they left and headed towards Master Fu's shop, knowing that Hunter wouldn't hurt the people because he was strictly after Chat.

* * *

Outside the shop they both came down and Chat Noir, still holding his shoulder waited for the lecture from Ladybug about how he was just being a reckless idiot, who could have gotten himself more hurt or even killed.

But it didn't come. Instead what came was a question.

"Chat... You don't really believe what that guy says about you do you?" she asks rubbing her arms trying to get feeling back into them from being tied up for so long.

"Yes Ladybug," Chat says moving to sit down against the wall, his cat ears flat showing he was upset "Sometimes I do. That was what I wanted to talk to you about back at Notre Dame..." he said sighing.

"Chat..." Ladybug said coming to sit next to him "You are not worthless, and you are not weak. You are a hero, and the city will not be better off without you," she said trying to comfort him "It needs you Chat Noir, and I need you as well."

"No you don't," Chat said hugging his knees and looking away from his Lady "You can defeat Akuma's and bad guys just fine without me. You're the one who purifies them, you're the one everyone loves, you're the one Alya's dedicated that blog of hers to, you're the one who all the little kids dressed up as on Halloween," he listed "I'm just a useless nobody who only causes bad luck and destruction. You don't need me."

Sighing and seeing that she won't be getting through to him with anything tonight, Ladybug just gave him a light kiss on the cheek as a thank you for saving her, before getting up and heading home.

Once she was gone, Chat Noir headed home as well.

* * *

The next morning all over the news, the story about what happened last night at the Tower was being played.

But neither Marinette or Adrien were paying attention.

"OMG! Can you believe I missed all of that AGH!" Alya screamed as they and Nino all walked into school together "That would have been killer for my blog and I slept through the whole thing!"

"Alya, for all that is good in the world, stay away from this story ok," Marinette said getting a feeling on what was to come from her friend about her just having to track this guy down the next time he attacks.

"What? Why?" the blogger asked surprised.

"Alya, he wanted to _Kill_ Chat Noir," Marinette said getting her to see "And he was going to kill Ladybug if Chat didn't show up."

"Hey how'd you know about that Marinette?" Nino asked looking at her "That wasn't said in the news."

"Um... Er... Well it was obvious wasn't it?" Marinette said trying to come up with something "The typical Super-Villain act right?"

"Hey guys can we change the subject?" Adrien asked as they sat down "I'm not really up to talking about this."

"Hey dude you ok?" Nino asked seeing how upset his friend was "And why are you all beaten up?"

"I er... fell off my rock-climbing wall in my room when I was playing on it this morning, before school." Adrien said.

Before any of his friends could say anything else, non-surprisingly, they were interrupted by a loud annoying cry of "ADRIKINS!" as Chloe Bourgois came over to him to say good morning.

"Hey Chloe," Adrien said kindly.

"Oh Adiren what's wrong?" she asked "Are you scared about that big mean guy the news is talking about? Well don't worry," she said pulling out her phone "I'll call Daddy right away and he'll get all the police, the army, everyone, to try and catch his mad-man."

"Um, thanks Chole, but I don't think that's going to be a good idea," Adrien said trying to calm her down, trying to ignore and not laugh as Alya was mocking her with her own phone.

"Hey why not Adrien, at least she'll actually be helping with something this time," Nino whispered to him.

"Because no one among their ranks will be able to take him down, only Chat Noir and Ladybug can, and they're still recovering from last night," Adrien said, rubbing his shoulder not believing it was still hurt.

Before anything else was said their teacher came in and the bell rang signalling the beginning school that day.

* * *

Outside the school there stood a stranger who had a large grin on his face as he looked up at it.

This is where, over the last few months, he had worked out the civilians of Ladybug and Chat Noir spent their day.

And he was about to ruin it...

* * *

Inside the class room the students were doing family-trees today, and they were all concentrating on their work.

Well all except Adrien who was thinking about his alter-ego's family tree and remembering what had been said about them and what each one just happened to be.

"Adrien?" Ms. Bustier asked seeing he wasn't working "Is something wrong?"

"Oh er... No Ma'am," Adrien said calmly "I just don't really know all that much about my mother's side, what with her not being here and my father never talking about her."

"Oh yes of course," the teacher said understanding "Well, if you need some time to yourself you're welcome to have it Adrien," she said kindly "But don't be too long."

"Thanks," he said getting up and heading outside, trying to ignore everyone watching him.

"Hey Nino, what was that about Adrien's mom?" Marinette asked in a whisper.

"Hasn't he told you?" Nino replied "*When Adrien was a baby apparently his mom disappeared, for no reason, and from that his dad hasn't been the same from how he was when she was around."

"That's so sad..." Marinette said looking out the door before raising her hand and asking to be excused too.

* * *

In the boy's room down the hall, Adrien was splashing himself with some water to try and calm down.

"You ok kid?" Plagg asked from his shoulder concerned.

"Yeah Plagg I'm fine," Adrien said automatically, looking himself in the mirror, thinking of all the things he had been told the previous night, and punching his fist into it, smashing the glass.

"You sure?" the Cat Kwami asked raising an eyebrow.

"I said I'm fine..." Adrien said a little grumpily lifting his coat slightly so Plagg can go back into the inner pocket.

With that, he headed outside, not caring about his cut-up hand.

*o*

Outside in the hall stood Marinette looking as if she was waiting for him, surprising him, but he didn't show it.

"Um, hi?" Adrien asked looking to her.

"Adrien..." she said taking a deep breath to calm herself down "Whatever it is that's ticking you off, just know that me, Nino and Alya will be there to help you with it ok? Whether it has something to do with your family, or if it's something else ok?" she asked looking up at him to make sure he understood, getting a light nod from him.

Smiling and sighing lightly, Marinette looked down blushing, pleased that she didn't mess that up, when she spotted the teen model's hand.

Grabbing it lightly she started to silently lead him to the Nurse's office.

Adrien tried to fight her off and say it was nothing, but the bluenette wouldn't listen.

While they were doing that, back in the class room, there was a visit by a very unwelcome visitor...

* * *

 **AN: *This is actually said in the webisode 'Adrien's Double Life'**


	5. Chapter 5

Back in the class room the students were still working on their family trees when the door slammed open, scaring everyone and making them look up.

A man in a trench coat, stood there with an array of weapons, short black hair, green eyes, slightly unshaven, scars over his face/neck/arms, and slightly tanned, wearing hunting boots, a belt with a skull belt buckle, and a white shirt.

The class started muttering to each other and gasping that this was the guy at the Eiffel Tower last night beating up Chat Noir and holding Ladybug hostage.

"Excuse me Sir but may I help you?" Ms Bustier asked coming over to him, hugging some books for comfort.

"Yes I think you just may, Mademoiselle," Hunter asked looking around the classroom "I am looking for Ladybug and Chat Noir, the cat preferably, and my er... sources, tell me that this is their classroom."

"Wait hold up?" Alya spoke up standing up and reaching for her phone "You mean you know for a fact, that Ladybug and Chat Noir, one come to this school, and two have been in this class this whole time?"

"My my, I thought you were smarter than this children," Hunter said smugly shaking his head "Well that just proves how terrible schools have become over the years. Yes they come this school, and yes they're in this class. So unless you want to see what my weapons can do," he said grinning and fingering his guns, knives, swords, and other thing that can hurt you "I would get to talking on to where those so called heroes are..."

At this, the whole class, even Chloe, stayed silent, giving the man a dark glare.

* * *

In the nurse's office, Adrien and Marinette were there seeing to the former's hand.

"Now, Adrien," the nurse said after bandaging it and getting out a record sheet and a pen filling it in "Mind telling me why or how this came to be?"

"The... The mirror in the boys room insulted me..." Adrien said weakly avoiding her and Marinette's eyes.

"Adrien, I need an honest answer," the nurse said kindly looking to him gently "I won't judge you for it, just be honest with me..."

Sighing Adrien said the truth to the best he could.

"I was upset from something that occurred last night," he began rubbing his hand gently "And the project we were working on didn't really help. I asked to be excused, went to the bathroom for privacy, and let out my fury by punching the mirror."

The nurse wrote all this down.

And after a bit said that they can both head back to class.

*o*

They were almost back to Ms Bustier's classroom, when Adrien stopped and pulled Marinette to the side.

"Hey, er... thanks Marinette," he said smiling kindly noticing her go slightly red.

"Well... Well, what did you expect me to do?" she asked smiling "Let your hand bleed?"

That wasn't what Adrien was talking about but before he could say that, a loud screaming came from the class room.

"I WILL NOT ASK YOU AGAIN! WHERE IS LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR!" an all too familiar voice cried out

Looking at each other, Adrien said he'll check it out and Marinette said she'll go find the Principle.

Once they were both out of each other's sights, they changed into Ladybug and Chat Noir and came running towards the class room.

*o*

In the class room, everyone was still holding firm and not answering, even Mylene, but that may have been because she had chosen to sit next to Ivan that day and he was helping her not be afraid.

Still not getting any answers, and getting even more mad because of it, Hunter pulled out a very large, and very sharp looking sword and used it on the teachers deck, cutting it right in half to demonstrate how sharp it actually was.

"Anyone still want to keep their secrets?" Hunter asked looking all around the room.

"Alright you got me..." Nino said making everyone look at him "I'll come clean I'll tell you my secret..." he said looking to the door wondering why help hadn't come yet.

"Hmm, at least someone understands," Hunter said lowering his weapon slightly, but not putting it away. "Go on then boy."

"Nino..." Alya hissed "Are you mad?"

"Maybe, but what else can you think of doing until help comes?" Nino said before standing up and taking a deep breath.

"My secret is... I sleep with a teddy bear."

The room was silent for a bit before stifled laughter came from some of the students.

Then understanding what her friend was doing Alya stood up too.

"My secret is I have a Ladybug doll sitting above my bed so when I sleep she'll give me good dreams."

Catching on, the other students joined in, spilling out their deepest darkest secrets.

"NO! NO! NO!" Hunter screamed slamming his sword into one of the front desks in fury, making them jump and stop "I MEANT SECRETS ABOUT WHERE THAT DUMB CAT MIGHT BE!"

Screaming in annoyance, when no one answered, Hunter was about to kill the girl wearing glasses to show everyone he meant business, bringing it down when a long silver staff held up by a blonde boy in a cat-suit blocked it.

"Well then I have some _purr-fect_ secrets for you then Hunter..." Chat Noir's said glaring up at him "I'm right here... And another secret I have..." he said hissing a bit "Is that I will not let you take a single life, of anyone in this school... Or this city!" he finished shoving the man off still standing at the front, Ladybug going around checking everyone was alright.

"Ah," Hunter said calming down a bit retracting his sword "So you finally decided to show up did you?"

Ignoring the question, but keeping his eyes on the man, Chat spoke to Ladybug.

"Ladybug, get yourself and every person in the school out of here now."

"But Chat..." Ladybug began to say.

"I said now!" he said firmly, still keeping eye contact with the man before him.

Scared but agreeing, Ladybug rushed to the Fire Alarm and pulled it, meaning everyone knew they had to leave the building.

Once everyone was out, Chat put his staff back into a defensive position the fire of revenge burning in his eyes.

"Ah so the little kitty's ready to finally fight dirty is he?" Hunter asked chuckling and putting his sword away, before cracking his knuckles, grinning.

"First of, I am not a kitty..." Chat said hissing slightly "Second I will never fight dirty. Because unlike you, I still have a conscious."

"Well then let me tell you a couple of secrets boy-o," Hunter said looking the most recent Chat Noir up and down "If you always fight good clean fight's 90% of the time you'll be ending up getting hurt. And second," he said coming closer to Chat and circling him, "Nobody, has ever in all the time Earth has existed, listened to the conscious."

Then just like that, with Hunter behind Chat, the older man raised his fist and took aim in the teen's back straight into the wall.

"Who... Who said the fight had started?" Chat asked getting up and rubbing his chest.

"No body," Hunter said grinning "Just proving what I said boy... If you fight good clean fights, 90% of the time, you'll end up getting hurt..."

* * *

Outside, Ladybug was counting heads, making sure everyone was there.

"Wait... Where's Alya?" she asked sure she had come out too.

"She went back in to look for Marinette..." Nino said getting nods from the others in the class.

Face-palming herself, Ladybug rushed back inside to find her friend certain that it wasn't her other half she wanted to find...

* * *

Back at the class room door, Alya was using her phone to record the fight going on between Chat Noir and this 'Hunter' guy.

"Hi there Ladyblog viewers," she said switching the camera on her phone to her "Alya here with an update on the Chat Noir and The Hunter fight..."

"ALYA!" someone yelled in a whisper over her shoulder making her spin around.

"Ladybug..." Alya say beaming and turning the camera onto her and jabbing her with lots of questions.

Quickly with an angry face, Ladybug slammed a hand over Alya's mouth, before grabbing her and began leading her back outside.

They had barely made it to the stairs however when Chat came flying through the wall screaming, and across the courtyard.

"CHAT!" Ladybug screamed running over to check if he was alright.

But before he could give her an answer, Ladybug was punched right into a wall, earning in her crying out in pain and the sound of a few of her ribs breaking.

Hearing her cries, Chat Noir shot up and was now seeing red as anger over took him.

Turning to Hunter he pulled out his staff, extended it and then yelling in fury, brought it down on the man.

Hunter was so busy gloating at what he just did, he didn't notice Chat until the very end, but still ended up blocking it.

Which was what Chat wanted.

Quickly, the boy started beating and kicking at the man eventually throwing him into the boy's locker room.

Quickly he turned to Alya who, for once, had put her phone away and was over with Ladybug helping her up.

"Get yourself and Ladybug out of here..." Chat told her before running in after the man.

Nodding to a no-longer-there Chat, Alya, helped with getting Ladybug outside and as far away from any possible danger that may soon occur.

*o*

Inside the locker room, the fight between Hunter and Chat carried on, although it mostly consisted of the opponent either punching or kicking the other into the lockers.

After parting and a quick breather, Chat was looking around the room for a way to defeat this guy, then looked at the floor and remembered that the school's boiler room was supposedly right underneath this room.

Chat was about to put his plan into motion, by calling for a Cataclysm, when Hunter came charging at him, shoulder first and ran through a hoard of lockers, Chat taking most of the beatings since he was at the front, until he managed to get away from the man.

Jumping into the air and across the room, Chat span to Hunter and called out, "No Fair I wasn't ready..."

"Which was why I did it shrimp..." Hunter said standing up grinning evilly, and laughing manically.

Growling at this, Chat mumbled and soon his ring hand was bubbling with his destructive power.

Quickly Chat came running over and then slid along the floor, between the man's legs, running his hand along the floor after him, destroying it, and weakening it so much that it collapsed and Hunter found himself falling through.

But because of Hunter's quick reflexes and him grabbing Chat's 'tail', the boy came too.

"AGH!" Chat cried as he was pulled down into the room as well.

"Finally with you using that dumb power, meaning you're no longer a threat," Hunter said getting up and pulling his sword out again "I can be harder on you than I was before..."

And with that he began to charge, sword in the air and, because Chat had dodged it, brought it down onto the school's rusty old boiler, giving Chat an idea.

For the next couple of minutes, Chat stayed close to the boiler, making sure that it got all the hits of Hunters sword instead of him.

He was down to one minute left, and the boiler on its last legs as well.

"Awe the poor little kitty is lost again," Hunter said gloating "Only this time there's nobody to help you..."

"Don't bet on that..." Chat said pulling his staff out and whacking it against the boiler, and the racing towards the exit.

Just getting out of the room, and the school when it explodes.

*o*

Outside, all the students and the adults, including the teachers, the fire-department, and the police were all still waiting, when they all herd a strange noise coming from the school.

Getting a tingling feeling on the back of her neck, Ladybug got up from where she was, pulled out her yoyo, went to the front of the crowd screamed to everyone to **_"HIT THE DECK!"_** and swirled her yoyo in the biggest shield she had ever made.

Once the dust and the rubble had calmed down, Ladybug pulled in her yoyo and could only stare at the now destroyed school drowning out the cheers of all the students behind her.

"Chat Noir..." she said in a whisper and raced towards the building to look for her partner, not caring about the people calling her back or the pain in her side.

*o*

Caught in the wave, Chat Noir was shot across the rooftops of Paris and came down on a random house, that injury along with all the others, finally catching up to him and making him sleepy.

'BEEP BEEP' his ring sounded for the last time before, he transformed back into Adrien Agreste.

"Kid... Kid you ok?" Plagg asked sounding, to be honest, worried.

"I'm fine Plagg... Just... Just need a quick nap and I'll be ok..." Adrien said slowly.

"No, nuh-uh," Plagg said grabbing Adrien's coat and pulling on it trying to get the boy to sit up "You cannot close your eyes, kid. You have to stay awake..."

Both of them were so caught up on this they didn't notice someone else coming onto the roof as well...


	6. Chapter 6

**Previously: "Kid... Kid you ok?" Plagg asked sounding, to be honest, worried.**

 **"I'm fine Plagg... Just... Just need a quick nap and I'll be ok..." Adrien said slowly.**

 **"No, nuh-uh," Plagg said grabbing Adrien's coat and pulling on it trying to get the boy to sit up "You cannot close your eyes, kid. You have to stay awake..."**

 **Both of them were so caught up on this they didn't notice someone else coming onto the roof as well...**

* * *

The woman who had come up onto the roof quickly rushed over to the boy, not caring about the Kwami floating next to him.

Plagg was about to hide, when he recognized her and hugged her in greeting and sorry-ness.

"Lizzy! I'm sorry, I'm sorry Lizzy, I didn't mean for this... I promise..." Plagg said hugging her face.

"It's alright Plagg," she said kindly "We'll talk about it later. Right now we need to get Adrien some help," she said gently picking up the boy.

Feeling he was being lifted up, Adrien opened his eyes a little to see who had him, but because of the sun could only see a silhouette of them.

Too hurt and too tired to think, Adrien closed his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

Adrien Agreste did not know how long he had been out, but it must have been at least a few hours.

He started with using his ears, listening, trying to work out where he was, and since he could hear arguing between a man and a woman, he knew right away he was not at home.

So then, he slowly tried to open his eyes, but they were too heavy... And it hurt too much to do that.

"Oh come on kid, even you can open your eyes... Even after what you've just been through..." someone said.

"Plagg?" Adrien asked trying again and seeing his Kwami floating before him, hugging a bit of cheese in his paws, a smile on his face.

"The one and only kid," the cat said grinning bowing the way Chat Noir bows to Ladybug.

Thinking of that, Adrien was about to shoot up and rush back to what was left off the school to see if she was alright, when part of the argument caught his ears.

 _'But my dear Elizabeth, he passed the test to be the next Chosen One...'_ the man, assuming-ly Master Fu said.

 _'I don't care Master Fu,'_ the woman said _'I did not spend the last 15 years away from him, just so he can be the next Chat and get killed by The Hunter!'_

"Hey Plagg..." Adrien asked getting a ' _Hmmm'_ from the Kwami "Who the lady Fu's talking to?"

Plagg was about to answer when the door to the room opened and in came the last woman Adrien expected to see.

"M... Mom?" he asked eyes wide in wonder and half full of tears of disbelief.

"Hello dear..." she said sitting down on the bed next to him hugging him "I feel that you have some questions..." she said sighing as she pulled away "Well ask and I'll try to answer them."

"Where the hell were you? Why did you leave me and Dad? What did you mean when you were talking to Master Fu right now?"

"One question at a time honey," Elizabeth said gently "Let's start with the _'Why did I leave...'_ " she said taking a big sigh after Adrien nodded.

"I left, so I could protect the ones I loved from The Hunter," she said "I was staying in London in England," she continued answering the next question "And I was discussing with Master Fu, how I was not happy about you being the next Chat Noir."

"No I heard that part," Adrien said quickly "I mean... How do you know about Chat Noir, and this Hunter guy?"

"She knows because she was the last Chat, kid," Plagg said smiling, making Adrien notice he had been out all this time.

He was about to tell the Kwami off when that sentence caught him.

"What?" he asked looking to his mom.

Sighing Elizabeth explained.

"Around 25 years ago I was 'Dame du Chat' **(Lady of the cat)** ," she started "And I stayed being her until I met your father."

This got Adrien thinking...

"What did you do with the Ring?" he asked quietly looking at it instead of her "Were you a good guy or a bad guy? And if so what did you do?"

"I... was not the best I could be..." she said avoiding her son's eyes and playing with her hair.

"Meaning..." Adrien said slowly turning back to her.

"Meaning she liked stealing shiny / cat related things," Plagg answered for her.

"Oh..." Adrien said sinking back to the bed a sad/ashamed look on his face and turning away from his mom.

Knowing that this might have been how her son would have taken it, Elizabeth just sighed and got up and returned to the other room.

* * *

Over at the Dupain-Cheng bakery, Marinette was in her room, having had just finished fixing herself up from the injuries Hunter gave her earlier when she was Ladybug.

After a quick reunion with her parents, Marinette was in her room on her sofa talking to Tikki about being worried about Chat Noir.

"I'm sure he made it out Marinette," Tikki said munching on a cookie over at the desk.

"It's not that Tikki, well ok it is," Marinette said designing outfits, something she found helps calm her down "It's the fact that... While I was out protecting everybody, Chat Noir was the one fighting this guy. And last night, when I was tied up against the tower, they were fighting then too, and I couldn't do anything."

 _'_ _Wait... Couldn't do anything? Couldn't do anything while your partner takes care of everything? Making the first person feel weak... Is this what Chat feels like all the time with me?'_ Marinette thought to herself.

"You're not weak Marinette," Tikki said coming over, making Marinette feel she could read minds "You're one of the strongest Ladybugs I've ever watched over."

"Really?" Marinette asked not bothering to as how Tikki knew what she was just thinking about.

"Yes," the Kwami said smiling and hugging the girl's face "It's just sometimes you encounter somebody, or something that only you can deal with and defeat by yourself. Even with all the help we offer him, Plagg tells us that defeating The Hunter is something he has to do, with his Human, by themselves."

"Plagg?" Marinette asked confused "You mean Chat's Kwami."

Tikki nodded sighing as she remembered one of last time Plagg came back into Master Fu's Miraculous box...

*o*

 _"_ _Plagg you're back!" Tikki cheered as the black cat Kwami formed inside the magic side of the box "I'm so happy you're..." Tikki said cutting herself off when she saw how upset Plagg was._

 _"_ _It happened again didn't it?" she asked getting a nod from him,_ _gently_ _welcoming him into her arms._

 _"_ _You... want to talk about it?" Tikki asked after a bit._

 _Sighing, Plagg took a deep breath and began his story about the human being a German guy called Adolf who led them to kill nearly everyone in sight._

 _"_ _Why am I a Kwami Tikki?" he asked when he was finished. "We're meant to help those we're given to, but unless you're out there with me, all my kittens go down the wrong path and then end up being killed my The Hunter."_

 _After a bit Tikki answered his question._

 _"_ _You're a Kwami, Plagg, because Fate chose you to be one," she said hugging him "And maybe you're just a late bloomer, on when it come to finding the right person to team up with."_

 _"_ _I don't think I can hold out, lose any more kittens, or have them be evil, to be a_ 'Late Bloomer' _much longer_ _Tikki..." he says curling up a bit._

 _"_ _Well then let me and my human help you stop him, next time we're both sent out" Tikki said._

 _"_ _No. One I am not putting you in danger," he said firmly "And two, this is something that_ _only_ _I and my Chosen One can solve..."_

*o*

Just as Tikki was finishing up remembering, she and Marinette were distracted by the girl's mother Sabine calling up to her.

"Marinette, there's somebody here to see you..."

"One moment mother," Marinette said getting up putting on a shirt to hide her battle scars and came down stairs to see someone she was not expecting to see today... Gabriel Agreste.

Marinette could not believe it.

Gabriel Agreste, Adrien's father, one of the world's most top designers, and the man she looked up to in the fashion world, was here in her home, supposedly wanting to talk to her.

"Mousier Agreste," she said bowing slightly, something she had picked up from her mother's side of the family "What... What may I do for you Sir?"

"My son Adrien seems to be missing," Gabriel said cutting right to the point, not noticing the worried look on Marinette's face.

"I have had my secretary Natalie ask around, and the students of the class he is in at that school, all say you were most likely the last person to of seen him." he said leaning forward a bit.

"I... I was the last to see him, yes Sir," Marinette said trying to stay cool under pressure "We were on our way back to class, after visiting the nurse, because he had hurt his hand, when we heard trouble coming from it." she said explaining what happened. "Adrien said he would check it out, while I went to get the Principle, and that was the last I saw of him, sorry..." Marinette finished.

After a bit of silence, presumably for thinking, Gabriel spoke up.

"Thank you for that information Mademoiselle," he said nodding his head to the girl and without another word, turned and left.

Once he left, Marinette rushed upstairs again and got straight to her phone and called Adrien's number.

 _'_ _Come on pick up, pick up, pick up...'_ she thought as it rang.

 ** _'_** ** _Hey this is Adrien's voice mail. Leave a message...'_**

"Er... Hey Adrien, this is Marinette; I'm um... just calling to check if you were ok. Only your dad's just been around to my house to say you hadn't returned to yours, and I wanted to be sure you were fine. Please call back."

With that she hung up.

"What do you think happened to him Tikki?" Marinette asked as she looked at her phone and the pictures of Adrien she had on it.

"I don't know Marinette," Tikki said landing on her shoulder "But I can still feel Plagg, so they must be alright..."

"I'm going to call Alya and then Nino," she said after a bit "Just to be sure..."


	7. Chapter 7

Getting back to Adrien and Plagg, they had left Master Fu's shop and had began to head home, the boy's mother saying she would stay there.

He had just got through the front door and was about to call out that he was home, when the silence in the air made him stop.

Sure his house was normally silent anyway, but this silence... it was wasn't the kind he was used to here. It felt like the silence in those movies Nino made him watch, building the tension before something bad happened.

Slowly, with a walking stick from the pot next to the front door as a weapon in his hand, Adrien started to seek out to find what was there that shouldn't be, his cat like senses leading him his Father's office first.

Slowly, carefully, he opened the door and peeked in, seeing Hunter was there at the desk looking as if he owned the place what with his muddy boots up on the desk to and leaning back in the chair, his hands behind his head.

Growling a little, telling Plagg to stay hidden, Adrien burst into the office, the walking stick up high, ready to attack if needed.

"Ah, there he is..." Hunter said grinning "I was wondering when you'd get here boy..."

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Adrien said narrowing his eyes at him, hopefully acting as if he didn't know who he was.

"Oh my dear boy I would have thought you already know the answer to both of those questions."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Adrien asked glaring at Hunter, gripping the walking stick.

Smirking, Hunter pulled out two photos one of Adrien and one of Chat Noir.

"Quite a likeness don't you think boy?" he asked grinning "I'm surprised nobody else has worked it out yet, what with your face all over the city and such. But I'm not really surprised as to seeing that Adrien Agreste doesn't remember me, you were just a baby when I first came over here, after all..."

"What?" Adrien asked confused, losing some of his anger and some of his grip on the walking stick.

"Why to kill you mother of course," Hunter says grinning "Don't you remember?"

*o*

 ** _15 years ago..._**

"Hush now my baby

Lay still now don't cry

Let the Sandman's sand come over your head and gleam"

 _Elizabeth Agreste sang as she put her one year old son to bed._

"Sleep and remember my lullaby

So I will be with your while you dream..."

 _Kissing the boy on the head she laid him in his crib smiling down at him as he yawned and rolled over to sleep_ _hugging his cat plushie toy._

 _"_ _Ah... What a sweet little song, and such a lovely voice..." a voice said behind her that Elizabeth did not want to hear "Too bad that will be the last time the lad will ever hear his mother sing it..."_

 _"_ _You stay away from him..." she says not turning towards the man, her fists clenched._

 _"_ _Oh but my dear, I believe we both know it's you who I want not the boy..." Hunter says_ _chuckling a little_ _staying where he was, his arms crossed. He may be a villain, but he did believe in not attacking until his opponent was ready to fight._

 _"_ _Now,_ _why don't you be a good little pussy cat..."_ _Hunter says_ _now slowly_ _coming over to the crib knowing the girl wouldn't want to wake up her sleeping baby._ _"And let me kill you tonight. If you do I give you my word I won't harm the lad tonight."_

 _"_ _But you will some other night wont you?_ _" Elizabeth asked grinding her teeth,_ _her knuckles turning white_ _"You aren't going to kill tonight,_ _but some other night, just so he won't have a chance to possibly be the next black cat."_

 _"_ _And here I thought you were_ _always_ _up for fun and challenges..." Hunter says smirking and looking around "Tell me where's the lad's father?" he asked looking around._

 _"_ _Not here at the moment..._ _And you are going to get out of my house before I call the police_ _" she says looking around for something to hurt him with. However_ _since_ _this was a Baby-Room there wasn't a lot of options in the choice of weapons._

 _"_ _Dam..." Hunter says pulling out his sword and began swinging it around "Now who's going to be given the blame_ _for what I do_ _when the police find you dead in the morning?"_

 _Elizabeth said grinding her teeth at last turning to him "The answer to that will be no one because you are not going to kill me or my son."_

 _"_ _Aren't I, my dear? Look around..." the man says looking around the room himself "There's only one way out of this room big enough for you and the boy... Oh and look... I seem to be blocking it... You have no way of escaping me this time pussy cat..."_

 _"_ _Well then I'll just have to defeat you and use that one..." Elizabeth said_ _violently_ _punching him in the face – most likely breaking his nose,_ _grabbed_ _Adrein and_ _ran_ _off to a different room, setting Adrien down, grabbing a pillow and a blanket and heading off again to the front door and the streets of Paris, The Hunter close behind her._

*o*

"Naturally of course she managed to trick me and as I was dealing with those pillows, she managed to get away," The Hunter said snapping Adrien back to the here and now "I tried coming back to take you, out in anger but as I was about to your father turned up and stopped me. Have you never wondered why he's so scared for you to be out in the world all alone?"

Now that someone mentioned it Adrien had thought about it, but he thought it was all to do with because his father didn't think anyone outside the house, aside from Chloe was good enough for him. Even though he often said _'The outside world is a dangerous place.'_

"I have been hunting your mother for 15 years," Hunter said getting up and slowly drawing out a sword smiling "But every time I was about to find her, she narrowly escaped my grasp. And then..." he says smirking looking up at Adrien "I found a newspaper speaking of you and your pathetic little Ladybug..."

"LADYBUG IS NOT PATHETIC!" Adrien screamed earning in him getting a knife thrown at him, which he had to duck, for interrupting.

"Obviously it only took me a couple of weeks to work out who you both were, I'm not as simple minded as the other idiots of this city you know, and now I know it's you, little Adrien Agreste... That will make it all the better once I kill you. And once I kill you..." he said beginning to pace around a deranged smile on his face "I'll be able to get your mother out of hiding and kill her, then your father, then your friends and then... And then I think I'll kill Ladybug..."

As he said each name Adrien's anger grew and grew until, when Hunter said he was going to kill Ladybug, where he threw out his fist, hit the man in the face and sent him towards the wall.

"Plagg. Claws Out!" Adrien cried out while Hunter was distracted, not seeing the point of running off to hide to change seeing it seemed obvious Hunter found out about him.

Once he was changed he rushed forwards, grabbed Hunter by his shirt and glared at him.

"You will not harm ANYBODY! YOU HEAR ME?!" he cried spinning around and throwing the man across the room.

"My, my, what a temper you have..." Hunter said getting up again grinning, as he rubbed his jaw "Better cool your top if you want to beat me boy. Because once we're done here and I've killed you... I'll be going after all those you care about and then all of Paris..."


	8. Chapter 8

Deciding she needed some fresh air, Marinette told her parents she was going for a walk.

"Ok dear, be careful..." Sabine said making sure her daughter had her phone with her.

"I will," Marinette replied before turning and heading to the park.

*o*

All the way there, seeing as it was close to evening, Marinette allowed Tikki to climb onto her shoulder.

"Hey Tikki?" Marinette asked after a bit "Mind if I ask you a question?"

"Not at all Marinette," the little red Kwami said munching on some cookies "Asking questions is one of the best ways to learn things..."

"Well... What exactly is your connection to Plagg?" Marinette asked as she sat on a bench and took Tikki in her hands.

"What do you mean Marinette?" Tikki asked confused.

"Well when you were talking to me about him earlier, it started out sounding like he was a bratty brother, but when you got to the end it felt like there was a closer connection..."

"Oh..." the little red creature said turning, if possible, even redder then before. "Well..." she was about to explain when she heard something, it sounded like somebody calling for help.

Checking to make sure there wasn't anyone around the blue-haired girl quickly transformed into Ladybug and set off to find who it was that was in danger, coming to the top of a random house.

"Hello?" Ladybug called out looking around "Anybody here?"

"Hello Ladybug," someone said behind her making her turn around, expecting to see Hunter, but thankfully it wasn't him. It was someone else.

Looking at this woman carefully, Ladybug tried to place who it was.

Then looking into her eyes the girl worked it out.

"Mrs Agreste?" she asked surprised _'But... But Adrien said...'_ she thought confused.

"Yes, but please call me Lizzy," she said coming over to the teenager.

"Ok," Ladybug agreed trying to work this out "Um... Any reason you **_'Cried wolf'_** just to get me here?"

"I didn't know your number," Lizzy explained in all the humour her son had "But that's not the only reason... The second is I would like your help in keeping someone close to me safe..."

"And that someone will be..." Marinette asked, but had an idea who, she just didn't know why.

"My son Adrien," she said looking out towards Notre Dame "He knows I'm here in the city don't worry. It's just, I have this feeling that he doesn't want me close to him since I left him and his father for 15 years, even though I sort of explained why I did."

"I'll do my best..." Ladybug said nodding in promise and taking out her yoyo about to let it out and fly away.

"And,if he'll allow it," Lizzy said a small smirk on her face "I'd also like you to watch over Chat Noir. I can't really say why, but he's also important to me, and well I'm sure you've come to learn how he is – always thinking of others before himself, even if it costs him something instead..."

Ladybug just nodded thinking of all those times he took hits for her. Then thinking a bit more she asked "You want me to keep him from going after Hunter don't you?"

"Yes..." Lizzy said turning to the red and black spotted suited girl "Though, although I have absolute faith in you Ladybug... I doubt that that one will be easy..."

"Then I'll do my best," Ladybug said smiling "I promise..."

With that she let out her yoyo and headed home.

* * *

Back at the Agreste household, the fight had moved to dining room, where Chat, at the moment, had gotten Hunter pinned to the wall with the knives that had been set out on the table.

"There," Chat Noir said firmly, panting a bit holding his shoulder which still hurt from last night and all this moving was making it hurt again "Now... we can have a talk about you STOPPING THIS STUPID HUNT OF YOURS!" he screamed at the man.

"And why would I do that?" Hunter asked smirking, not moved at all about Chat's words towards him, or how he said it.

"Because if you don't then I will kill you myself, seeing as you're too dangerous to keep alive..." Chat Noir said trying to be as threatening as he could possibly be.

But to his surprise, Hunter only bawled out laughing.

"You kill me, lad?" he asked though his laughter "Ha! You don't have the heart of a killer to do such a thing. A Killer isn't born boy, he'd made... Made out of a dramatic thing that happened to him in the past... And even if something did happen, you're not strong enough to take me down." Hunter continued with a grin on his face, loving the fear that was coming off of the boy.

"Except for your mother and possibly a few others I hadn't heard of, I have every Black Cat's life inside of me... And with each one I grow stronger... Surly Plagg told you this?" he asked smirking.

As Chat Noir was distracted because he was thinking this over, he did not see Hunter come down off of the wall, grab his sword start coming towards him...

* * *

At the Dupain-Cheng bakery, Ladybug had just landed on to her balcony and was about to detransform, when she had a strange feeling that something wasn't quite right with her sweet Adrien, and set off to find out why, coming to just outside his house.

When she got there however, she only saw Chat Noir with Hunter pinned to the wall.

 _"_ _There,"_ Chat Noir said firmly, panting holding his shoulder _"Now... we can have a talk about you STOPPING THIS STUPID HUNT OF YOURS!" he screamed at the man._

 _"_ _And why would I do that?" Hunter asked smirking._

 _"_ _Because if you don't then I will kill you myself seeing as you're too dangerous to keep alive..."_ Chat Noir said trying to be as threatening as he could possibly be

Ladybug was surprised... Was Chat really threatening to kill this guy?

Yeah he's a bad, bad guy, who she thought dissevered it too, but violence was never the answer...

But to her and apparently Chat's surprise, Hunter only bawled out laughing.

 _"_ _You kill me lad?"_ he asked though his laughter _"Ha! You don't have the heart of a killer to do such a thing."_ Ladybug smiling as she watched hoping that that was true and that Chat will change his mind.

 _"_ _A Killer isn't born boy, he'd made... Made out of a dramatic thing that happened to him in the past... And even if something did happen, you're not strong enough to take me down."_ Hunter continued with a grin on his face, one Ladybug was not too fond of.

 _"_ _Except for your mother and possibly a few others I hadn't heard of, I have every Black Cat's life inside of me... And with each one I grow stronger... Surly Plagg told you this?"_ Hunter asked smirking.

As Chat Noir was distracted because he was thinking this over, he did not see Hunter come down off of the wall, grab his sword start coming towards him.

Gasping, and thinking it was time to step in, Ladybug backed up, before running towards the door and kicking it in.

Quickly she throws her yoyo and pulled on it snatching Chat out of the way, just as Hunter brought down his sword.

"Ladybug?" Chat Noir asked confused getting up.

"Who were you expecting Kitty?" Ladybug asked using her yoyo to make a shield while Chat was coming sorting himself out.

"Stupid bug..." Hunter said annoyed "I wish I had a giant fly-swatter in my line of weapons, just so I can use it on you..."

"Don't you talk to her that way!" Chat Noir called out growling and extending his claws and getting in front of her.

Then the fight continued until both the teens were panting and checking off a few new injuries, Chat having blood coming from his head, and Ladybug holding her yoyo arm thinking it was broken – meaning she couldn't call for a Lucky Charm for help.

But it seemed that even after everything they threw at Hunter, he was still standing and deciding on how to finish of these brats, finally picking out his favourite sword.

"Now, just hold still you two, and this won't hurt a bit," he said unsheathing it and walking towards them, loving the fear that was coming both off them.

Just then the front door clicked and in walked Mr Agreste along with Natalie and the Gorilla, Natalie trying to calm Gabriel down as he was still worried about Adrien.

"Sir, I'm sure nothing too bad has happened to him, maybe if we try calling his phone," she was saying but cut herself off as the three of them came to the dining room door.

"What's going on here?" Gabriel asked looking from the heroes to the Hunter and back, before going to the Hunter again and asking him "Who are you and what are you doing in my house and ruining it?"

"I wouldn't say 'Ruining it' Mr Agreste," Hunter said a tone of mockery in his voice "Merely remodeling it and repainting it," he said nodding to some splashes if blood on the walls.

Not accepting this as an answer, Gabriel asked again as he slowly made his way over to a coat of arms that showed off two swords. "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?"

"They call me The Hunter," he said giving a mocking bow "And if you want to know so bad, I am here to have another go at killing that son of yours before I kill Chat Noir."

This made everyone but Gabriel and Chat Noir gasp.

"You will not touch my son," Gabriel said firmly "I remember who you are now; you were the man who made it so my wife left."

"No, she left all on her own," Hunter said a thoughtful look on his face.

Getting mad, Gabriel Agreste snatched a sword from the coat of arms, told Nattily and Gorilla to get Ladybug and Chat out of there, before he started running towards the man, yelling in fury and sword ready.

"No Mr Agreste wait!" Ladybug cried out but felt herself being pulled towards and out the door along with Chat Noir.

o0o

After a bit of rest a few meters away from the house, Ladybug got up and started heading back towards it.

"Ladybug what are you doing?" Nattily asked firmly making her stop.

"Me and Chat need to go back in there to help Mr Agreste," Ladybug said in reply "We can't sit by and do nothing."

"You are both too tired and weak and hurt to go back in there at the moment," Nattily said calmly gently forcing Ladybug to sit back down on.

"But..."

"My Lady, when it comes to fighting, I believe Mr Agreste knows what he's doing," Chat Noir said from his spot a few paces next to her letting the Gorilla look at his shoulder and arm.

No one noticed the figure of a woman in a cat themed costume jump over the fence and race inside.

o0o

Back inside the sounds of swords clanging against each other lead the woman to the living room where she saw it was a pretty even match, but knowing how tricky Hunter was, she decided to intervene before he did one of his horrible tricks.

"HEY HUNTER!" she cried out making the men stop and look towards the door to see someone in a black cat costume glaring at the man in question "You try and kill him, and you're going to feel how sharp these claws are..."

"Ah Dame du Chat," Hunter said smiling and turning to her "I was wondering when you would come out of hiding..."

Scowling at the man the woman undid the whip around her waist making it look like a tail and slashed it towards the man tying his wrists together.

"Really? You're still using that lame old trick?" he asked grabbing it and pulling it towards him, meaning since she was out of practice Dame tumbled forwards and fell towards the floor, only to be caught my Gabriel.

"Thanks," she said smiling and getting up again catching the whip as Hunter threw it back at her.

Gabriel set Dame back on her feet and turned back to glaring at Hunter sword in hand again.

Seeing he was now out matched and seeing as his match was more with Chat Noir, Hunter used a smoke bomb and left.

o0o

Outside, Ladybug and the others saw the smoke and were about to go and see if everything was alright, when Gabriel and Dame came out coughing and looking around.

"He got away didn't he?" Chat noir said clutching his fists.

"Yes, but I did manage to give him a bloody nose and a few broken ribs," Gabriel said giving off a rare smile "I've wanted to do that for years..."

"Um so who exactly are you Madame?" Ladybug asked confused looking at the cat themed lady.

"I am Dame du Chat," she said introducing herself "I was the holder of the Ring of the Black Cat before Chat Noir was."

"What you did to Hunter won't keep him down for long," Chat said walking to the edge of the garden and looking out to the city wondering where he was. "A stinking rat like him won't be done until he's finished the job he came here to do. So I guess I'll have to make sure he doesn't finish it, or start a new one ever again..."

"What are you talking about Chat?" Ladybug asked worried slightly.

"The only way to stop a Killer, is to kill them," Chat said fingering his ring "And I am the only one who can do it. So I have to kill him..."

* * *

 **AN: Sorry took so long - it was challenging to rewrite this chapter**

 **And home life kept distracting me**

 **If anyone notices ANY mistakes _PLEASE_ tell me so i can fix them **


	9. Chapter 9

**Previously :** **"** **What you did to Hunter won't keep him down for long," Chat said walking to the edge of the** **garden** **and** **looking out to the city wondering where he was.** **"A stinking rat like him won't be done until he's finished the job he came here to do. So I guess I'll have to make sure he doesn't finish it, or start a new one ever again..."**

 **"** **What are you talking about Chat?" Ladybug asked worried slightly.**

 **"** **The only way to stop a Killer, is to kill them," Chat said fingering his ring "And I am the only one who can do it. So I have to kill him..."**

* * *

Ladybug was shocked at what she just heard.

"What?" she asked wanting to make sure she got the message right.

"I, Cat Noir," he said turning to her a determined look in his eyes "Am going to kill The Hunter..."

"But, that's not you Chat..." Ladybug said trying to get him to understand, worried this much anger would get him Akumatized.

"I know it's not," he said avoiding her bluebell eyes, unable to look at them "But being a hero of Paris is. And if that means I have to kill someone to keep that up, then I'll do it. Wouldn't you do the same?"

There was a moment of silence as the Ladybug thought it over.

"Yes," she said at last "Yes I would... But only as a last resort, last chance, type of thing."

"This man had lost that eons ago," Dame du Chat said growling slightly placing a hand on Chat's shoulder saying she was with him.

After a little bit longer to work out exactly what was to happen and more importantly where the Agreste Family were going to stay until their home was repaired, Ladybug suggested that they go and stay with the Dupain-Cheng's.

"I know that they won't mind," she said smiling saying to Mr Agreste, she believed they were still open. "Start heading for them and me and Chat Noir will take one last look for Adrien and tell him to head there."

Nodding, he, Nattily and the Gorilla got into the car and started heading towards it.

Once they were Ladybug and Chat, went looking for Adrien.

Dame saying she needed to head home for the night.

After a bit, Chat quickly ducked behind a house and came out as Adrien, Plagg in his pocket, in full view of Ladybug.

Seeing him, she came down and told him only stuttering a little about what just happened.

"So your dad, Natalie and the bodyguard will be spending the night and possibly the next few days at the Dupain-Cheng bakery." she concluded.

"Right, thanks Ladybug," Adrien said and headed off in that direction.

Once he had for a bit, Ladybug shot out her yoyo and headed home, landing on her balcony, dropping though the window and changing back, just as the door downstairs was being knocked on.

And Sabine opened it to once again reveal Mr Agreste.

* * *

Once everyone was inside, Adrien arriving a few minutes later, and the guest room and blow-up beds were ready, and everything was explained the best as it could, everyone thought it best to just go to sleep and see about it in the morning.

But Marinette couldn't sleep. Not with the love of her life just next door to her.

No, she was in bed and staring at the sky through the window in the ceiling thinking, mostly about what Chat had said before they left.

"There has to be another way Tikki," she said at last rubbing her tired eyes in annoyance.

"But there isn't Marinette," the red Kwami said coming over to hug her human "I know you think killing is wrong and it is, but this is the only way to get rid of this guy."

"But you've always told me that there is always another way..." the girl said sitting up a little.

"Not this time Marinette," Tikki said shaking her head sighing and hugging her again "Besides, if you want Chat Noir to stay around you have to let him do this, otherwise Hunter will kill him. You do want him to stay around right?"

Marinette hadn't thought about that, and was about to answer when there was a ' _Tap tap tap'_ on the window and she could see Chat Noir out there.

Telling Tikki to hide, Marinette stood on top her bed, undid the window, and invited the boy inside.

"Chat Noir?" she ask in a 'I'm surprised to see you' voice.

"Hey Princess," he said trying to seem fine "Mind if I stay here tonight? Something happened back home and I don't think I'll be welcome there for at least a couple of days."

"Um ok, one night, but what if I see you without your mask?" Marinette asked petting the curled up boy's head.

"I'll only be here at night," Chat said yawning "And hopefully I'll be gone before you wake up in the morning..." he said closing his eyes.

Seeing no way out of this, Marinette agreed and went back to sleep herself, her mind still at war with what she and Tikki had been talking about before Chat interrupted them.

* * *

In the morning Marinette's alarm on her phone went off, but she just hit the snooze button.

"Marinette, come on or you'll be late for school." Tikki's motherly voice said as she yanked on her chosen's hair trying to get her up.

"Alright, alright Tikki I'm up..." Marinette said yawning and sitting up heading down in her pj's for breakfast.

She was so sleepy and so used to this, Marinette didn't see Ardien looking almost as tried, but already dressed showered and had his hair dry and brushed, already there at the table with his father and her mother, who was making them pancakes.

"Hi mum..." Marinette said tiredly.

"Honey, aren't you going to say good morning to our guests?" Sabine asked smiling.

Confused, Marinette looked up and saw Adrien and Mr Agreste and turned bright red as she remembered last night and the fact they were seeing her in her pj's.

"H... H... Hi, um, Adrien and Mr Agreste..." she said before cutting up her pancakes and avoiding their eyes.

Grinning Adrien politely said hello as well and Mr Agreste just nodded his head.

Soon Gabriel was finished and said he needed to go see just how much damage happened to Agreste Manor last night.

Then without even a goodbye he left.

Finishing up herself, Marinette went to get changes and collect her things and then the teenagers went off to school together.

o0o

 _'_ _Has the school always been this far away from my house?'_ Marinette asked herself as it felt like the journey was taking twice as long today.

As they waited for the traffic lights to say they could go, Adrien spoke up.

"So, thanks for giving us a place to stay last night Marinette," he said smiling.

"You're welcome," she replied quietly mentally punching the air in rewarding herself for not messing that up.

At last the lights said they could go and they finally got to the school and into the class room.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for the delay.**

 **Note - the second half of this chapter (and all the other ones that will** **hopefully follow) will be straight out of my head and typed up**

 **So expect mistakes, and moving schedules as to when the next chap will be up.**


	10. Chapter 10

In the classroom, everyone was already there, going over homework, gossip, or their own business.

All the chatter died, when the door opened and in came Adrien and Marinette, together...

All the girls, minus, Chole, and Sabrina quietly cheered for Marinette and Alya ran up to hug her congratulating her.

Blushing Marinette made it to her seat and Adrien went to his, getting a gentle punch in the shoulder by Nino.

Chloe, getting mad was about to blow a fuse, when Miss Bustier came in and class started.

* * *

Over at Agreste Manor, Gabriel was in his office checking everything was alright.

Especially the portrait of his wife and the condense of the safe that was hidden behind it.

Thankfully everything was there, and unharmed.

Taking the Book of the Miraculous out of the safe, he then went to the room full of butterflies and called for Nooroo.

"Yes Master" Nooroo asked sounding afraid.

"Tell me about this 'Hunter'." he said right away looking though the book, mostly in the Chat Noir chapter, to see if there was anything there.

"The Hunter is an age old enemy to almost all the Chat Noir's, killing nearly all of them," Nooroo began "When the Miraculous were first created, the Chosen for the Ring of the Black Cat used his Cataclysm on a dragon to save the Emperor and the kingdom. Using such power on living things means he gained the powers, energy and life span added to his own.

"Over time, he got more evil, so the ring was taking away from him and passed to the next person. But he didn't like that, so he killed him and all the others he could find." Nooroo said finishing and bowing to show he was done.

"So how do I get rid of this mad-man?" Gabriel asked not finding anything useful in the book "I cannot steal Chat Noir's miraculous if he is no longer around can I?"

"You cannot get rid of him Master, only Chat Noir can," Nooroo said with wide eyes. "But... If he will allow it, you can help him with your Powers to defeat The Hunter, Master."

Saying he'll think about it, Gabriel called Nooroo back and went back to his office.

* * *

Around mid-afternoon, once again The Hunter was outside the school his mind filled with plans he could use to get the boy out here and fight him.

His first idea was to use that girl again. But he'd already done that and it didn't work.

So now as he looking up and down the street, he got to thinking, and wondering about just how many people would it take t capture and/or harm before Chat Noir came to give himself up.

Grinning he went to the park start setting his traps for the plan to work.

* * *

As school ended, Marinette, Alya, Nino, and Adrien left the building together, Marinette for once remembering all her things and they went off to go get ice-cream from Mousier Glacier's ice-cream shop.

"I think I'll get a vanilla," Alya said checking the menu and her money "What about you Marinette?"

"Um... I think I'll have the strawberry and chocolate chip" she said smiling.

"You mean the Ladybug Surprise?" Nino asked checking he understood what she meant (boys don't always understand girls that well).

"Yes Nino." Marinette said rolling her eyes.

"Well then I'll have a rocky road" he said smiling "What about you Adrien?"

"Um..." Adrien said looking at the board "This 'Chat Noir Supreme' sounds good. Blackberry head with wafers for ears, and a cherry for the nose." he read out.

They were just about to tuck into their ice-creams when a cry came from the park and they span around to see what it was and saw the Hunter.

" **LET IT BE KNOWN! THAT UNTIL CHAT NOIR COMES TO GIVE HIMSELF UP TO ME, I SHALL CAPTURE ONE PERSON EVERY HOUR!"** he yelled getting everyone attention.

Growling Adrien said he needed to do something and ran off.

"Adrien!" Marinette said running after him, but he was too fast.

Looking around, Marinette slipped into an ally-way and transformed into Ladybug and started running over the rooftops looking for Adrien, but could only fine Chat Noir sneaking up on Hunter, his hand bubbling with a Cataclysm...

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for the long wait (it was Christmas after all)**

 **And Sorry for the short chapter - but this and everyone that comes after it will be coming from my head not my computer so either deal with it or stop reading.**

 **Finally - I'm not sure where this will be going, but hopefully (eventually) it will get finished**


	11. Chapter 11

Not knowing what to do, Ladybug pulled out her yoyo and tapped the 'call' button on it watching to see it Chat picked it up.

o0o

Down on the ground, behind a tree, Chat did hear his baton ringing, but shut it off when he saw who it was, saying he was doing this for her, and carried on hunting the Hunter.

o0o

"What are you doing Chat Noir?" Ladybug asked firmly and hung up getting her yoyo ready to swing down and help.

o0o

In the park Hunter was looking all around him and listening to try and find his prey, while also looking around choosing who to take for Chat to come to him.

A couple of minutes ago, he heard beeping coming from behind a tree and smirked.

Staying still, he counted down from 5 and sidestepped out of the way, just as Chat Noir was running towards him, making the kid trip and his hand land on the grass making it all shrivel up and die.

"Just a little question here boy, what side is you Ladybug on exactly?" Hunter said smirking and dodging left and right as Chat, mad, pulled out his baton and started swinging it at him.

Just then Ladybug came down and wrapped Hunter with her yoyo's string "I'm on the side that protects Paris from people like you!" she said firmly.

"Well it doesn't seem like that my dear," Hunter said calmly despite being tied up like that "After all I wouldn't have know your little boyfriend was there unless you had called him.

"Chat Noir is not my boyfriend!" Ladybug said firmly pull on the string to make it tighter.

"Really? Are you sure?" Hunter asked smirking "After all from what I've seen, you seem to really like the boy underneath that mask he's wearing."

"I'm sure!" Ladybug said glaring at the man, until a beeping drew her attention to Chat Noir who was down to just three minutes.

Growling Chat ignored it and ran towards Hunter claws out and sharp ready to kill him, but Ladybug stopped him.

"Chat no! Go home before you change back!" she ordered shoving him away.

"WHY!" he called out but backing up "He already knows who we are so what does it matter if he sees us without out masks?"

"Because we don't know who we are," Ladybug said "And neither does anyone else!" she continues gesturing to everyone else in the park watching them.

"But..." Chat said trying to find an excuse, but then his ring beeped again.

"Chat please..." Ladybug said her eyes growing a little wider.

Sighing Chat Noir grabbed his baton and extended it before leaving.

Sighing, Ladybug watched him go.

"WATCH OUT LADYBUG!" someone called out, making her spin around in time to see The Hunter had freed himself and was coming towards her with a purple tipped sword, slicing the top of her arm.

"AGH!" she yelled gripping her arm and falling to her knees.

"I know poison is more a lady's choice of killing method, but if it works, it works." Hunter said crouching down to look at Ladybug in the eye.

"Now. I have the antidote, right here," he said patting one of the pockets on his coat "And I will give it to you if you bring me Chat Noir, alive so I can have the honor of killing him, by..." he said checking his watch "7 o'clock tomorrow night. which gives you 30 hours to do so."

"And if I don't?" Ladybug asked glaring at him, surprised when he began to laugh.

"Then I'd get to saying your goodbyes to everyone, my dear." he said getting up grinning "Better hurry, the clock is ticking..."

And with that he left.

Quickly people came around to see if their heroine was alright and started calling ambulances.

"No!" she said firmly looking around "No hospitals. Just... Just go about your business I'm fine."

But for once the people of Paris didn't listen to her and soon she was being packed into the back of an ambulance and driven to a hospital, everyone worried for her.

o0o

*In the ambulance*

Because of the attack, the timer for her suit was going down faster than usual.

"No..." Ladybug said telling the medics to let her go.

"Sorry Ladybug, we can't do that." one of them said trying to comfort her.

"It's alright Ladybug," another said whose job was to keeping the machines working "We won't tell anybody who you really are."

"It's not that," Ladybug said after feeling she could trust them "It's... It's that Ladybug got in here at the park and my other self will come out when we reach the hospital. If that happens then everyone will know who I am."

"Won't you be able to change back before we get there?" one of them asked.

"No I don't have anything to feed my Kwami to charge her up, and if she's not charge up then I can't be Ladybug. You have to let me go!"

"But what about his injury?" the other asked asked looking to her arm.

"Hunter said I had 30 hours, and that if I did what he wanted he'd give me the antidote." Ladybug said eyes wide.

"Alright," the man on the machines said telling the driver to pull over "But let us take a sample so we can try and find the antidote ourselves in case he lied or you don't make it."

Nodding, Ladybug let them do it and then left and headed home detransforming in an ally-way next to her bakery and going inside after checking her arm was hidden by her jacket.


	12. Chapter 12

Marinette was in her room lying on her bed, her arm wrapped up in bandages and hugging her cat pillow for comfort as she looked at her Adrien board, thinking.

If she didn't do what Hunter wanted and the doctors couldn't find a cure then she will die.

But if she did do what he wants the Chat will die, and everyone will hate her, and scorn her, and wish she was dead, and never ever want to see her or Ladybug again including Adrien!

Slowly Marinette sat up and reached for her phone.

Tikki was on the shelf above the bed, in her own little bed resting a large cookie and a thimble of milk next to her to help her get her strength back.

If she was awake, she would tell Marinette that what she was about to do was against the 'Miraculous Code' about not telling anyone who she really is.

But she trusted who she was going to call.

And if she was going to die, she would want someone she loved and trusted to know and to take care of Tikki and Paris as a new Ladybug.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette pressed the 'Call' button on her phone under Alya and asked her to come over.

* * *

Back in the park, Adrien was looking for his friends not hearing about the misfortune that Ladybug had come to as he had left so his identity was kept secret.

Finally, he found Nino and ran over.

"Hey where are the girls?" he asked.

"Don't know about Marinette," Nino said having a lick of his ice cream "But Alya got a call from her a few minutes ago and said she wanted to talk to her alone so ran off."

 _'_ _Must be important then if Marinette only wants Alya'_ Adrien thought checking the time on his phone.

"Hey did you hear about Ladybug?" Nino asked making Adrien pause and look up "Rumour is that after Chat Noir left, that guy Hunter, got her with a knife dipped in some sort of poison and now she only has 30 hours, well 28 and a half hours, to get Chat Noir to meet him face to face so he'll give up the antidote."

"WHAT!" Adrien cried out standing up in rage and pacing around.

"I know right?" Nino asked always told not to believe in rumours but something about his friend was putting him off.

"Um... you ok dude?" he asked.

"I need to go," Adrien said grabbing his bag "See you tomorrow."

As soon as he could Adrien changed into Chat Noir and tried to call Ladybug but there was no answer.

Growling a little Chat Noir started to look for her the old fashioned way.

Besides anybody who had been attacked with a sword dipped in poison couldn't be that hard to spot right?

* * *

In her room Marinette was waiting on Alya to arrive, wondering how she was going to explain all of this.

 _'_ _Hi Alya, nice to see you. Oh by the way I've been poisoned because I'm Ladybug and only have a day and a quarter to live.'_

No, it needs to be more delicate than that.

Perhaps she should start out with a joke. Except she was told she was never very good with them.

Maybe she should show Alya Tikki first, and then try to explain everything.

No, she'll just be too excited to listen.

"Marinette?" Alya's voice called from the other side of the trap door that opened into her room.

"Come in..." Marinette called checking her arm was hidden.

"Hey girl so what's so important that you only wanted me to come here?" Alya asked coming to sit on the bed with her friend.

A moment of silence and then...

"Alya, you remember back when you, me and Manon went to the park and then after Stormy Weather was defeated, Manon came running to me and said she worked out Ladybug was my best friend?"

"Yes..." Alya said slowly wondering what this had to do with anything.

"Well... She was wrong, but not too far off either," Marinette said slowly getting up to reach for the shelf and pulled down a still sleeping little red Kwami.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Sorry took so long to put up a new chapter.**

 **I've been distracted, sick, busy, and had a little bit of writers block.**

 **Either way hope you all like this newest chapter of this story.**

* * *

 ** _Previously..._**

 ** _"_** ** _Alya, you remember back when you me and Manon went to the park and then after Stormy Weather was defeated, Manon came running to me and said she worked out Ladybug was my best friend?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yes..." Alya said slowly wondering what this had to do with anything._**

 _ **"**_ _ **Well... She was wrong, but not too far off either," Marinette said slowly getting up to reach for the shelf and pulled down a still sleeping little red Kwami.**_

* * *

After the whole story Marinette was hugging her cat pillow again and waiting for Alya's reaction, not sure she wanted to hear it.

"So... All this time..." Alya began slowly trying to stay calm and keep herself from freaking out and/or getting mad "All the time I've wanted to find out about Ladybug, of when I freaked out in front of you about her, of and gave you my bizarre ideas about her... She was you?"

Avoiding her eyes and hugging the pillow tighter, Marinette nodded.

"And now that Hunter guy has poisoned you, and you will die by tomorrow evening, unless you get Chat Noir to meet up with him, and he won't give you the antidote otherwise?"

Marinette nodded again.

Alya was silent and slowly stood up and walked away a little.

"Please don't be mad Alya..." Marinette said scared "I only kept it secret because if the badguys knew you knew who I was, then they would use you to get to me. And by use I mean hurt you. Over and over until you let up the info they wanted. And then they would go after my other friends and family and then..."

"Marinette calm down," Alya said coming back over "Ok I might be a little hurt that you didn't tell me, but right now I'm more mad at that... that guy for doing this to you!"

At that scream of rage, Tikki slowly started to wake up.

"Marinette?" she called out quietly sounding a mix of sick and tired.

"I'm here Tikki," Marinette said gently lifting the Kwami up.

"Marinette, I need you to take me to see the doctor again. He can make me better and then see about you." Tikki said not noticing Alya was there.

"Ok Tikki, We'll go see him. Don't know how much he'll be able to help me, but he should be able to get you all better." Marinette agreed nodding and tried to get up but found it hard to walk as the poison was working it's way through her.

"Girl you are in no condition to take your little friend anywhere." Alya said making Tikki jump and hide.

"But..." Marinette said trying to argue but Alya wouldn't hear of it.

"You are in no condition on going anywhere." Alya said slowly gently shoving Marinette down onto her bed again.

"Then who's going to take Tikki to the healer?" Marinette asked looking at Tikki.

"I will. Just tell me where to go and I will go there and come straight back." Alya said smiling and standing proud.

"I'm not sure that that will be a good idea." Marinette said coughing a little.

"Well how else is she going to get better?" Alya asked firmly then got onto her knees before her friend. "Come on girl trust me."

Sighing Marinette agreed.

"But Marinette..." Tikki tried to argue but couldn't finish.

"Tikki you need to go get better," Marinette said placing the Kwami into her purse "And I know you know to trust Alya, so please stop trying to fight back and let her take you to go see Master Fu."

"Ok Marinette." Tikki said sadly and she and Alya left.

As they did, Marinette went up onto her roof garden and watch them leave.

o0o

For the last hour or so Chat Noir had been looking for Ladybug but hadn't found her.

Sighing he was about to give up and change back when he saw Alya leaving Marinette's parents bakery with the blue haired girl's purse.

Curious Chat kept watching and saw Marinette come up onto the roof bandages around her arm.

Looking from one girl to the other, Chat decided to check up on Marinette first.

"Hey," he called out making her spin around.

"Chat Noir?" Marinette asked "What are you doing here?"

"Well I was looking for Ladybug," Chat said sitting on the railing "I heard what happened and wanted to make sure she was ok. But I haven't found her yet"

Marinette looked to her arm and frowned a little.

"Chat, if it was to save someone else, would you give up your life?" Marinette asked after a bit "Even though it would make them feel guilty for the rest of their lives because you did when they should have died instead?"

"If you're talking about Ladybug, then yes. I would always place myself in front of her and a weapon if it means she's kept safe." Chat said confused as to why Marinette would ask this.

"Even though you know nothing about her?" Marinette asked "And I don't mean Akuma attacks or... Or things that can be seen to, and over time make you better again. I mean, would you DIE for them? Would you be killed by a crazy lunatic and save them because they made a deal to bring you to them because they have the antidote to a poison they have inside them?"

This time Chat took a little longer to come up with an answer.

"Yes." he said "Because I'm a hero. And that's what hero's do."

Seeing Marinette's face and tears brimming her eyes Chat turn her to look at him and asked what was wrong.

"Nothing. I have to go." she said and went back inside saying goodbye.

Sighing, Chat jumped down to the pavement and changed back, Plagg on his shoulder already holding a piece of cheese.

"Something's wrong with her kid," the Kwami said stuffing his face.

"But she said..." Adrien said not able to finish his sentence.

"Kid, when a girl says 'Nothing's wrong' that means everything is wrong." the cat said "And when they say 'Something's wrong' then someone is in big trouble. They just don't want to ask for help because they don't want others involved."

"Well if she doesn't ask me for help, how am I meant to help her?" Adrien asked looking at all the photos on his phone of his friends.

"You have to use that brain God gave you and work it out on your own." Plagg said finishing up and hiding inside the boy's jacket again so they could head inside the bakery.


	14. Chapter 14

That night, Marinette had said to her parents that she wasn't feeling well and wanted to go to bed without dinner.

"Ok sweetheart," Sabine said gently "We'll save you a portion in case you change your mind."

As Marinette thanked her and slowly walked back up the stairs, Adrien, who was still living there with his dad, asked if anyone thought something might be wrong with Marinette.

"Adrien..." Gabriel said warningly.

"I didn't mean it like that Father," Adrien said calmly "But the Marinette I know wouldn't really be all that will to not have a meal unless something really bad came up." he said looking to Tom and Sabine wanting their opinion, being Marinette's parents.

"Now that you mention it lad," Tom said thinking "She did seem a bit more quiet when she came home today."

* * *

In her room, Marinette was writing notes of apology and goodbye to her friends, Adrien, and her parents.

All which she hopped she wouldn't have to deliver, while Tikki – Alya had returned her an hour ago, watched the news.

 _'_ _Our top story tonight:'_ the news reader said _'If witnesses are to be believed, the new villain_ The Hunter _has injured Ladybug and has up to 24 hours left to hand over Chat Noir to him. Will she do this? We are at the park where the fight took place and asking people their opinions...'_

"Tikki can you turn that off please," Marinette asked from her bed not wanting to watch or listen to it.

Quickly Tikki turned the tv off and zipped up to join Marinette.

"We will get through this Marinette," Tikki said gently smiling up to her Chosen.

Not believing her Kwami, Marinette carried on writing letters until a knock came from her door.

"Yeah?" she called out, once she checked Tikki was hiding.

Carefully it opened and in came Adrien with a plate of dinner and some cutlery.

"Hey," he said closing the door and coming over "Thought you might wasn't Dinner in Bed."

" _Dinner_ in bed?" Marinette asked "Isn't the saying 'Breakfast in bed'?"

"Dinner, breakfast, lunch," Adrien said shrugging "As long as it's food it doesn't matter right?"

Agreeing, Marinette took the plate and tucked in.

After a bit Adrien said:

"I saw Alya with your purse earlier," he said unsure where to take this. "But she got away before I could ask her why she had it."

"She was doing something for me," Marinette said quietly "She needed the list I made for her that I placed in my purse to do it."

Just then she stared coughing hard.

Quickly Adrien tried to help but she shook him off.

After a few minutes Marinette stopped coughing and lied back against her propped up pillows.

"Marinette, are you feeling ok?" Adrien asked sounding worried.

"Yeah, I just have a very nasty cold," Marinette said avoiding his eyes my starting with the food, taking small bites not sure if she would be able to handle it all or keep it down.

"Please don't lie to me Marinette," Adrien said sitting at the end of the bed "I may not show it, but I don't like liars, especially when they're my friends."

Marinette stayed quiet rubbing the bandage on her arm trying to come up with a story.

"Adrien..." Marinette began slowly so she didn't get her words mixed up or start stuttering "If you loved someone, and tomorrow was going to be your last day to live, would you tell them how you felt?"

"Sure I would," Adrien said nodding "They would need to know."

"If I was the one who died tomorrow," Marinette asked quietly "How would you think everyone would take it? Would they be happy or sad that I'm not around anymore to keep messing everything up?"

"One, you don't keep messing everything up," Adrien began grabbing her hand to comfort her "Two, I am sure everyone who knows you will miss you, even Chloe. Hey I bet even those who don't know you will miss you because without you... Without you there would be no 'Marinette-ness' to bring joy and laughter to everyone and make them smile with creative things."

Marinette smiled and had some more dinner before saying she'll have some more later.

Nodding Adrien got up and left a concerned feeling about his friend in his mind.

* * *

At the hospital the doctors and nurses still didn't know what type of poison Hunter had stabbed Ladybug with.

But they knew they couldn't give up.

A life depended on them doing this.

And the first rule of being a doctor is to always do your best to save a life.

On the roof, Chat Noir was watching in from the windows.

"Oh this is hopeless," a man said after staring through a microscope for three hours. "By the looks of it, it's a combination of at least three ingredients, but I can't work out what they are."

"Well then give someone else a try Phil," another doctor said "You need to rest anyway."

Nodding Phil got up and the other man that spoke sat down in his place.

Up on the roof Chat Noir really wanted to kill The Hunter now, but didn't have an idea on where the monster was.

So instead, needing time before returning to the bakery, he went to Master Fu's shop to see if Master Fu or his own mother had any ideas.

* * *

"Mum? Master Fu?" Adrien called as he let himself into the old man's shop.

"Adrien? Why are you coming here so late?" his mother asked coming to meet him.

"I couldn't sleep, I kept having bad dreams about what was said to have happened to Ladybug," Adrien began, hugging her "So I went to the hospital to see if the doctors have got it sorted out, but they don't!" he cried annoyed.

"Oh Adrien..." she said hugging him and petting his hair, Plagg sitting on the kids shoulder.

"Don't worry hon, we'll get this sorted out," she said kneeling before him.

Sniffing Adrien nodded hugging her back.

"And Marinette's been acting strange too," he said "She says it's a cold, but I don't think it is. Mostly because she's been asking lots of questions about 'if someone dies'."

Master Fu had come and had heard this.

"We will worry about Ladybug first, and then Marinette," he said calmly for he knew they were one in the same person.

After a little bit more of a talk, Adrien and Plagg changed into Chat Noir again and returned to the bakery.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry these are getting slow to update and confusing and not really taking the story anywhere**

 **I'm loosing track on how I want this to go so I'm running out of ideas**

 **I'll try my best to keep it going and (hopefully) get it done**

 **Hope everyone still loves it non-the-less**


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning, Marinette got up early to visit the hospital as Ladybug before going to school, feeling her muscles failing her and her reaction times getting slower.

Unfortunately, they had nothing as of yet as to which to give her to stop the poison going through her.

At school she stuck close to Alya and her friends wanting to stay with them for as much as she could if today was her final day.

During lunch, Adrien asked Nino if he thought Marinette was acting not herself today.

"Maybe she's just more tired than normal," Nino said shrugging.

"No, that's not it," Adrien said quietly "I've seen her tired, and this... I don't know what this is, but it's not tired."

* * *

From his look out post The Hunter could see the sweet little dying Ladybug and that stupid not-fit-to-wear-the-ring-of-the-black-cat boy Adrien.

"Soon boy... Soon, some way, you will give that ring over to me, even if I have to pull it off your cold dead bloody fingers." he said grinning.

* * *

After school, Marinette changed into Ladybug and went for a spin around the city coming to a stop on top of the bell tower of Notre Dame and sighed, sliding down and checking the clock on her yoyo.

"Waiting for someone special M'Lady?" Chat Noir asked making her look up and see him joining her.

"Not exactly." she said sadly.

"That's good," Chat said trying to cheer her up "I don't want mew to have anyone replace me."

Ladybug stayed silent, as small tears came to her eyes.

"You sure you alright?" Chat asked slowly coming over and joining her.

"I'm fine, err..." she said rubbing her eyes "How about we do a patrol later and meet up at the stadium?" she asked.

"The stadium?" Chat asked "But we always finish at the tower."

"I know, which is why I think we should stop there tonight, to... get a new look at the city, a... new perspective of it." Ladybug said hoping Chat wouldn't see through her lies.

"I guess that makes sense," Chat said slowly unsure "Ok, how much later?"

"An hour or two?" Ladybug asked slowly getting up "You start from one side of town and I'll start the other and we meet up in the middle?"

"Ok, meet you at the stadium then, I'll call to say I'm about to start," Chat said getting up too.

Nodding Ladybug let him go first before heading home.

* * *

In her room, Marinette changed back into herself and looked to the floor to avoid Tikki's disappointed look.

"Marinette... Why didn't you tell Chat Noir what's going on?" she said after a bit.

"Like he'd be able to do anything Tikki," Marinette said sighing.

o0o

On the other side of the door, Adrien was coming to see if Marinette wanted to play some video games when he heard:

 _'_ _All he does is destroy and get in the way and make things more difficult for everyone,'_ Marinette said as if she were talking to someone but he couldn't hear another person, but it was clear it was about Chat Noir.

Sighing he looked at his ring and slid down the wall to sit on one of the steps.

Needing some air, Adrien made a note and left out the back door.

"You ok kid," Plagg asked from his pocket.

"Does it look like I'm fine Plagg?" Adrien asked in a depressed voice. "I'm right back where I started, everyone, and I mean Everyone! is dissing Chat Noir because he can't do anything but make a mess and destroy."

"That's not true kid, you can do other things," Plagg said sipping out to talk to Adrien face to face.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Adrien asked "What wonderful things can a kid, who's blessed with the Kwami of Destruction, and bad luck do that is so wonderful everyone will love him?"

"Save people." Plagg said quickly and simply "What makes someone a hero or bad guy isn't the powers or stuff like that. It's the choices they make on how to use them."

' _Well then maybe I chose the wrong side...'_ Adrien thought as his phone buzzed reminding him of the patrol and changed into Chat Noir calling Ladybug as he said he would leaving a message and took off.

* * *

At the stadium, The Hunter was waiting for his prey to come to him, a dark grin on his face.


	16. Chapter 16

Marinette had climbed onto the balcony above her room and changed into Ladybug.

She was about to take off, when her yoyo beeped.

' _Ladybug, I'll scout out the east and the south of the city, you can do the north and west. Meet you at the Stadium like you said and remember pace yourself.'_

Ladybug looked over to the east and indeed saw Chat Noir scouting that area out.

Taking off for the place in question herself, she stopped a few houses away wondering if this really was the right thing to do.

"I mean... it's not really like people like Hunter to keep their word in these kinds of things is it?" she asked herself. "And then what will everyone think about me after this?"

Shaking her head she looked up and continued to the stadium making a perfect landing in the middle of the pitch.

"Ah there you are Ladybug, I was starting to think you weren't coming," Hunter's voice rang out.

Ladybug didn't reply, just held onto her yoyo a little tighter.

"So where's Chat Noir?" he asked coming into view by the opposite gates.

"He'll... He'll be here," Ladybug said in an emotionless voice.

* * *

Over to where Chat Noir was, he had just finished checking over the jewellery stores for possible thieves luckily not finding any.

All he had to do now was head to the stadium.

"Chat Noir!" someone called to him making him turn around to see his mum.

"Yeah?" he asked glumly.

"You know if you go there you will be playing right into His trap right?" she asked hugging her son.

"I have to go mum," Chat Noir said but not sure why "I need to end this, and get that antidote for Ladybug and... And prove I'm not useless!"

After one more hug Chat Noir got his staff out and made his way to the stadium, a firm look on his face, his claws tingling with the desire to wanting to rip that man apart.

o0o

Soon he got there and called out to see if Ladybug was there yet.

Hearing something with his Chat ears he pulled out and extended his staff and span around seeing Hunter there with Ladybug tied up and on her knees next to him.

"So nice of you to finally arrive, Chat Noir, I was starting to worry," Hunter said grinning walking over to him laving the Bug there.

"Yeah well, I'm here now so give her the medicine," Chat said gesturing to Ladybug "And let's get on with that dumb fight!"

"Oh but that won't be any fun doing it like that..." Hunter said smirking "You have to earn it. To do that... You will have to defeat me!"

With that Hunter shoved Chat to the ground and using the thousands of years of magic building up inside him changed his form to be half large furious Black Panther half Human holding two large swords.

"Fine..." Chat Noir said and started charging at Hunter with his staff made long enough to seem like a good sized weapon.

At the side, all Ladybug could do was watch, just like before.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for my updates always taking so long to do - I get distracted easily and that with other things puts me off from writing**

 **But I feel close to finishing this soon**

 **Hope you're all still liking it :)**


	17. Chapter 17

As Chat Noir and Hunter were fighting they were making a right mess of the field and each other, but neither of them cared.

They just wanted to other one dead first.

Every chance Chat got, he looked towards Ladybug to see how she was doing.

Ladybug was trying to get out of the ropes, but the poison had made it so hard for her to move now she couldn't seem to do it.

Chat Noir had just dodged yet another slash from the double-swords Hunter had when they paused for a little and stated circling each other.

"Why do you care so much for this bug and this city?" Hunter asked in a low growling voice "It's not like anyone here has ever done anything nice to you. And if they had, it was probably just because of who you are under that mask."

"Liar!" Chat yelled "I have friends who like me for me and have never taken advantage of me! Or shunned me because I'm Chat Noir!"

"Oh yeah?" Hunter said grinning "And what of your parents? What of that brat that's the Mayor's daughter? What of all those idiots who run after you every time you're outside and on your own?"

Getting mad Chat charged screaming his staff held high above him. As he brought it down however his target wasn't there anymore.

Spinning around to try and find him, sand was blown into his eyes meaning he couldn't see.

"GAH!" Chat cried rubbing at his eyes to try and get it out so he could see again but...

 _'_ _WHACK!'_

Something hit him right in the stomach making him fly backwards and hit the ground, still blinded.

"This is cheating!" he yelled carefully getting up and spinning around a few times using his ears to try and find this man.

"Oh come on boy," Hunter's voice said coming from his right "You're fighting evil. What did you expect?"

Violently Chat slashed his staff in that direction but hit nothing, however he felt his hair shift in the wind and the vibrations of something big and heavy handing on his left.

Quickly Chat dodged another attack and swiped his staff again this time hitting something.

"Hah!" Chat said pleased, managing to have enough time to get the sand out of his eyes and look around.

"You think one hit will get rid of me?" Hunter said rubbing his chest where a bruise was forming "I've been around for hundreds of years. The only thing that can kill me is a Black Cat's _Cataclysm_. But you won't do that will you? Why? Because you're too soft... Too weak... Too scared to use it on another living thing."

"That's true, I am..." Chat Noir said firmly standing tall as he said this "But you, as far as I can tell, are not classified as that anymore. CATACLYSM!" he screamed holding his ring hand high into the air and started running towards Hunter.

Smirking Hunter stood there, not moving, until when Chat Noir was an inch away, when he whipped out his own hand, grabbed the boys wrist, flung him over and made him touch the ground instead resulting in all the grass on the pitch dying.

Laughing Hunter then threw Chat Noir over to where Ladybug was off to the side.

.

"Chat..." Ladybug said in barley a whisper "He's lying, he's still got a heart, destroy that..."

"How?" Chat asked looking at his ring a pad already gone.

"Your staff _(cough)_ Your staff can change into a spear..." Ladybug said saying her Kwami had told her while in fact Master Fu had told her. "Use that."

Nodding, Chat got up and imagined his staff was now a spear the deadliest poison on it's tip.

Spotting this, snarling, Hunter started running on all fours towards them, fangs and claws out ready to kill.

Grabbing Ladybug, Chat Noir jumped the two of them out of the way and set her down safe in the seats.

"I'll be back soon" he said before jumping back down and running towards Hunter, spear in his hand.

.

It took a little longer than Chat Noir had wanted but after a ferocious fight (Chat Noir mostly dodging attacks) he had finally managed to get the spear into Hunter.

"AGH!" Hunter howled trying to get it out but failing as Chat had jammed it into the middle of his shoulder blades on his back.

"Not exactly where I wanted it," Chat said "But it will get there. So hand over the antidote for Ladybug!" he ordered holding out his hand.

"Not a chance boy!" Hunter yelled standing as tall as he could while in pain "I said you had to defeat me. You only wounded me. And by the time I get destroyed it will already be too late for you puny little Ladybug..."

At these words, Chat Noir looked up to the stands where Ladybug did look extremely sleepy and in pain.

Out of options, Chat Noir drew out his claws and charged at the man.

 _'_ _If this cat fight had to end like this so be it.'_ he thought.

Chuckling Hunter beat Chat away with a swing of his good arm making him skid back.

"You're going to run out of time before you can defeat me." Hunter said proudly "And once that happens, I can kill you and take your life to replace this one I'm using now."

"No, It's over you hear me?" Chat Noir said his hands made into fists "You won't win... I won't let you! I WON'T!" he yelled and a bright green aura came over him making him feel supercharged and more powerful.

Looking at his ring he saw that had been recharged too.

Getting over the shock, Hunter started racing towards Chat Noir while he was distracted.


	18. Chapter 18

**_Privously:_**

 ** _"_** ** _You're going to run out of time before you can defeat me." Hunter said proudly "And once that happens, I can kill you and take your life to replace this one I'm using now."_**

 ** _"_** ** _No, It's over you hear me?" Chat Noir said his hands made into fists "You won't win... I won't let you! I WON'T!" he yelled and a bright green aura came over him making him feel supercharged and more powerful._**

 ** _Looking at his ring he saw that had been recharged too._**

 _ **Getting over the shock, Hunter started racing towards Chat Noir while he was distracted.**_

* * *

His feline scenes tingling, telling him danger was approaching, Chat Noir dodged the oncoming beast and slashed at him making Hunter screech in pain.

And the fight continued except now it seemed, Chat had the upper hand and Hunter was the one taking almost every hit.

Every so often, Chat had to remind himself that he only had to do enough to 'defeat' him so he could save Ladybug.

Even though there was so much more he wanted to punish this man for.

· Taking his mother away from him

· Attacking and harming the innocent

· Scaring his farther into becoming a super protective 'You can't go out into that dangerous world alone' helicopter parent – Meaning he didn't have an actual normal childhood like everyone else.

Just as the boy was about to give another punch into the man's face, Hunter grabbed the boy's wrists and flung him across the pitch.

Perfectly cat-like Chat Noir landed on all fours and looked up fanged teeth bared growling and hissing a little.

Slowly he got up and called for another Cataclysm.

This time he wasn't going to let it go to waste.

o0o

Ladybug was getting more and more tired.

So tired she didn't notice or care when Tikki detransformed her and started yelling in her face to stay awake.

o0o

From the pitch Chat saw the red flash of light and knew time was running out.

If he was going to do this he would have to do it soon, so grabbing his staff and extending it into a goodish sized fighting staff, Chat Noir once again started charging towards the bad guy, running at him much faster than before.

The speed was so fast and Hunter was so worn out because of the fighting, he didn't have time to get out of the way and paid for it when Chat Noir ran straight into him knocking him into the ground, feeling a second later the kid's hand slam onto his chest.

Chat Noir kept his hand over where Hunters heart was supposed to be for 15 seconds, quickly pulling it away and getting off him.

"There..." he said hissing a little as he watched the monster getting destroyed before his very eyes "Consider yourself defeated..."

It took less time than Adrien thought would be needed for the man before him to be 100% destroyed leaving nothing but the small vial of the poison's antidote.

Gabbing it, Chat used his pole to leap into the stands where he left Ladybug surprised for the first few seconds to see Marinette.

Before he could ask questions, the Kwami's – Plagg had detransformed him back into Adrien, reminded him what needed to be done.

Nodding, Adrien gently held Marinette in place tilting her head back gently and poured the liquid from the bottle into her mouth.

"Now we just have to wait," Tikki said also suggesting to call both sets of parents to let them know where they were and that they were alright.

Nodding, Adrien pulled out his phone and called the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

o0o

15 minutes after the call Tom and Sabine, along with Gabriel, Natalie, the Gorilla, and to the boy's surprise his mother came running into the stadium.

"Up here!" Adrien called telling them to be quiet, Marinette was still sleeping.


	19. Chapter 19

For the next few days Chat Noir, when he was seen, was seen patrolling the city by

himself while Ladybug got better at a hospital somewhere.

Paris wasn't told what hospital she was in to keep her identity safe.

Some nights Adrien made it to the top of the Tower and released his transformation for a little bit saying to Plagg the air up there helps him think, but the Kwami didn't believe it.

When he wasn't being Chat Noir he was being Adrien Agreste and spending as much time with the unconscious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, talking to her mostly for it was found a few years back that if people in comma's have a nice calm friendly voice talking to them, they wake up sooner.

It had been about a week and still nothing, but yesterday as he was leaving because visiting hours were over, Adrien was sure he saw a couple of fingers on her right hand twitch.

He was still getting shunned by Paris for being _'the sidekick'_ for _'not being of any use to Ladybug'_ but it wasn't as much as before.

Sighing he transformed into Chat Noir and went to do a midnight check on Marinette.

* * *

 ** _Next Morning_**

 _'Beep... Beep...Beep...'_

That was the sound that the heart monitor connected to Marinette had been making the past few weeks, along the sound of the oxygen mask which was fitted over her face.

Slowly, at last, Marinette opened her very heavy eyelids and looked around trying to get her bearings before she started moving.

Looking around the room she deduced that she was on one of the beds her parents were both asleep on the sofa, her mum lying on top of her dad's big belly – this mad her laugh a little.

Looking around a bit more she saw on the bed next to her was a sleeping Adrien Agreste, this made her blush and her heart beat a little faster.

"Marinette?" a small voice asked making her look at the bedside table next to her, spying her purse and a fully overjoyed Tikki a little black blob curled up next to her still asleep.

"Oh Marinette you're awake! You're finally awake!" she said flying up to her and hugging her face the best she could.

"Finally?" Marinette asked but it came out a bit muffled because of the mask.

"You've been in a coma for two weeks," Tikki said backing off so Marinette could see her. "How you feeling?"

After getting over the shock of the coma, Marinette slowly, because her arms hurt a little, held up a thumbs up to say she was fine.

Just then there came a yawn and the girls looked to see where it came from seeing Plagg was waking up and rubbing his eyes.

"Tikki, you were my pillow, why'd you move?" he asked in a whiny voice.

"Because, you big kitten, Marinette's finally awake," Tikki said rolling her eyes.

"If she doesn't have camembert, that's not worth disturbing my nap for..." he said flying over to Adrien's head and curling up in the boy's hair.

"It is to me," Tikki said giving Marinette's face another hug before going to try and sneakily wake up Sabine by tugging on her hair.

It took a while but it worked in the end and mother and daughter were hugging each other tightly (well as tight as their dared).

Tom, having had woken up because Sabine climbed down off him, had gone to look for the doctor.

Soon the doctor arrived and all this noise made Adrien finally wake up too.

The doctor gave everyone the news, not minding the blonde haired boy who wasn't here last night but was here now, that in just a couple more days, Marinette could go home.

"But she is to be restricted to not do any running, jumping, climbing, have panic attacks, or any exercise of any kind until we are sure she is better." he said.

"So basically, no being Ladybug?" Adrien asked to confirm it, getting a nod.

"But what if an Akuma happens or i'm late for school, or..." Marinette started saying but nobody was listening.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for taking so long to update**  
 **And sorry about swapping this from being focused on Chat Noir to being focused on Ladybug**  
 **And finally sorry for making it last this long**  
 **Either way I hope everyone is still liking it, please review**


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